Medical Conditions & Car Insurance

You must notify the appropriate authority if you develop certain medical conditions or disabilities or if certain conditions have worsened since you obtained your licence. Conditions that can affect your driving include:

• visual impairment:

  The government has established minimum eyesight standards for drivers, requiring motorists to be able to (with contacts or glasses, if necessary) read a car number plate from a distance of 20 metres and to have a visual acuity of at least 0.5 (6/12) on the Snellen scale.

  Motorists must also have adequate fields of vision. The standards are more stringent for lorry and bus drivers. Your eyesight will be tested against these standards at the start of your practical driving test. If you can't pass the vision test (using corrective lens, if you need them), you'll automatically fail the test, the DVLA will be informed, and your licence will be revoked.

  If you need glasses or contacts to pass the test, you're legally required to wear them whilst driving. If you aren't wearing them and cause a collision, you can be fined up to £1,000, face prosecution and even prison time, and invalidate your insurance. You should have regular eye tests, particularly as you age, to detect worsening of your short or far-sightenedness or the development of cataracts, glaucoma, or night blindness, all of which you might not notice but can significantly impact your ability to safely drive.

  If your sight deteriorates or if you lose vision in one eye, you must immediately notify the DVLA and your insurance company.

• epilepsy:

  Each individual with epilepsy will be assessed individually to determine whether or not they can safely drive and with which, if any, restrictions.

  People with asleep seizures will often be given licences that need to be renewed every three years, as opposed to the standard ten, while those who have experienced an awake, or breakthrough, seizure will need to notify their doctor, the DVLA, and their car insurance company immediately.

  Whether you can drive with epilepsy will depend on what medication you use and how well it controls your condition. Your licence may be suspended until you've gone six months without a seizure.

• strokes:

  Anyone who suffers a stroke or transient ischaemic attack will not be permitted to drive for at least a month after the event. After that point, your doctor will assess you to see if you're capable of driving and eligible to have your licence restored.

• physical disabilities:

  Advances in technology have enabled individuals with disabilities, including amputations, and spine and limb conditions, to continue driving with vehicle adaptations. The DVLA must be informed if a motorist needs an adapted vehicle and will amend their licence to reflect this.

• other neurological conditions

  This includes conditions such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, narcolepsy, traumatic brain injury, and aneurysms.

  In these cases, motorists are assessed individually. They may be given licences that must be renewed every year or three years, or have their licences suspended until they've gone six or 12 months without an incident (where applicable).

• mental health conditions:

  In most cases of depression and anxiety, if a doctor has confirmed the driver doesn't have problems with concentration, agitation, or suicidal thoughts, the DVLA doesn't need to be informed. In more serious cases, such as with psychosis and chronic schizophrenia, motorists are assessed on a case by case basis and assessment will take into account how well their condition is managed by medication.

After you notify the DVLA of your medical condition, they will conduct a series of assessments to determine whether you can safely drive. The DVLA should give you a decision within six weeks and you should usually be able to continue driving while you wait.

To assess your fitness for driving, the DVLA may:

• contact your doctor or consultant
• arrange for you to be examined by a doctor
• having you take a driving assessment, driving test, or eyesight test

After conducting the assessment, the DVLA will decide whether you:

• can continue driving
• can receive a shorter license, one which must be renewed every 1, 3, or 5 years, as opposed to the usual 10
• can adapt your vehicle with special controls and continue driving
• must stop driving and surrender your licence, for a period of time or indefinitely

If you disagree with the DVLA's decision, you may launch an appeal.