I Lost My Licence on Medical Grounds: A Case Study

If the DVLA have any concerns about your fitness to drive without posing a potential risk of both yourself and other road users, they reserve the right to revoke your licence on medical grounds.

This happened to Debbie, who had her driving licence taken away in June 2007 due to a tumour and was told that she would not get it back for around two years. Based on this, she is hoping to have it back in June 2009 but her dealings with the DVLA have given her some reservations as to whether this will actually be the case.

DVLA Concerns

Having suffered from a secondary tumour, the DVLA deemed her to have at least a 20 per cent chance of having a fit behind the wheel, despite Debbie presenting them with information from medical experts that showed that this was not likely to be the case. This has frustrated Debbie, as she fears that it may prevent her from getting her licence back at all.

She says, “I have never at any point been on anti-convulsive medication or been warned about the possibility of fitting due to the tumour being located in the cerebellum – which medical experts have told me presents a zero risk of fitting”.

Desperate to get her driving licence back, Debbie has offered to have a full medical to prove her fitness to drive. She has also had several MRI scans to show that no further tumours have developed since having her driving licence revoked on medical grounds.

Communication Problems

Debbie has had no real contact with the DVLA regarding her case. Communication has been between DVLA and the medical experts that have worked with her throughout her illness. She says, “The DVLA will not discuss my case with me – they will only discuss it with the medical team”.

Lifestyle Changes

As a result of losing her driving licence, Debbie has had to make considerable adjustments to her everyday life to cope with the inconvenience of not being able to use her car.

She says, “Because of my lack of driving licence, I have had to severely limit my work opportunities as I now need to be able to travel to and from work by public transport. I am an accountancy contractor and am now on a much reduced income due to the travel restrictions placed on me as a result of losing my driving licence”.

A Waiting Game

The two year period passes in June 2009, and Debbie is hopeful that this will result in her driving licence being returned to her. There is no guarantee of this though, as it will depend on the DVLA deciding that she is fit to drive without posing a threat to other road users. Having previously done everything that she can to prove her driving fitness, she is concerned that she will not get her driving licence back at all. Debbie admits that the stress of not knowing when she will get her driving licence back has led to her being prescribed anti-depressant medication.