Lawyer Denise Nurse appeared on BBC Morning Live and warned motorists are only ‘vaguely aware’ of what the law is
A BBC expert has warned drivers that they could be breaking the law and face penalties if they fail to report certain medical changes to the DVLA. Speaking on BBC Morning Live, solicitor Denise Nurse cautioned motorists about a potential £1,000 fine for not declaring specific medical conditions and clarified when these should be reported to the DVLA.
One viewer reached out, revealing she had a spinal cord stimulator fitted and her consultant advised her to inform the DVLA. However, after conducting some research, Jass queried: “My condition isn’t on the list.” Presenter Gethin Jones asked: “And that’s the thing, sometimes there’s a bit of confusion around what to do and whether you need to do anything.”
Ms Nurse acknowledged that many people were ‘vaguely aware’ of rules surrounding medical issues, but lacked certainty. She explained: “It is a topic where you might be vaguely aware you’re supposed to do something but not quite sure what you should notify and what the impact is. The first thing I want to say is just because you notify the DVLA, it doesn’t automatically mean you lose your license or you can’t drive.
“That’s just to stop everyone from panicking about this. It’s not an automatic licence revocation, but it is an actual requirement that you do notify of some conditions in certain circumstances. And if you don’t, as you mentioned at the top, there are three major things that can be quite an impact on you.”
Three bad things that can happen
1/ Ms Nurse stated: “First of all, potentially a £1,000 fine.”
2/ Insurance: “Secondly, it could invalidate your insurance.”
3/ What happens if you’re in a crash. She stated: “And thirdly, if you’re in an accident, it could mean you’re prosecuted if you didn’t notify.”
Ms Nurse explained: “So, that all sounds quite serious and it puts it into some context. But what we’re really talking about here and to answer Jass’s question is things where you have to notify because of the effect of that condition on your ability to drive. This is all about how your driving competence.
“And at the end of the day, wouldn’t we all want to be fit to drive? So, think about it like that. If you’ve been told by your medical professional to notify the DVLA, then do it. That’s my recommendation. You know, take that seriously that the medical profession have also some obligations to go through this and let you know. If you’ve gone online, which is what you should do, go online uh with the DVLA or gov.uk website.
“They have the list of conditions which we’re going to go through. If you can’t specifically see yours, don’t worry. Go through the online form, and it takes you to a bit at the end that says, um, my condition isn’t recognised, isn’t there listed, and then you’ll get a general self-declaration form. And if you can’t access that, go back to your GP, ask them to print it out. Go to your local library, get someone to print it out for you, fill it in, post it off.”
The DfT warns you could face a fine of up to £1,000 if you fail to inform DVLA about a condition that might impact your ability to drive safely. You could also face prosecution if you’re involved in an accident, resulting in penalty points and potential imprisonment.
You must tell DVLA if you have a driving licence and:
- you develop a ‘notifiable’ medical condition or disability
- a condition or disability has got worse since you got your licence
Notifiable conditions are anything that could affect your ability to drive safely. They can include:
Surrendering your licence
You must surrender your licence to DVLA if any of the following are true:
- your doctor tells you to stop driving for 3 months or more
- your medical condition affects your ability to drive safely and lasts for 3 months or more
- you do not meet the required standards for driving because of your medical condition
You can apply to get your licence back when you meet the medical standards for driving again.