the DVLA
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The DVLA will ask the Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Disorders of the Nervous System to review the period of time required off driving before someone who has suffered a seizure can regain their driving licence. (AI summary)
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Dear Mr Oliver,
Thank you for your report, of 16 October to Dr made under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and Regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013, following the inquest you conducted into the death of Mr William Edward Turner. Your report has been sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) as, although the Secretary of State’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Disorders of the Nervous System and Driving provides expert advice, the DVLA is responsible for ensuring drivers can meet the required medical standards.
I was very sorry to learn of the tragic circumstances of this case and would like to express my sincere condolences to Mr Turner’s family.
Your report asks whether the timeframes for drivers who experience seizures might be revisited and reviewed, in light of the circumstances of this case.
It may help if I explain that for epilepsy, the fitness to drive standards are based on the risk of seizure recurrence while driving. When considering the appropriate health standards for driving, a balance needs to be made between road safety and the needs of drivers who experience seizures.
For drivers with well-managed epilepsy, 12 months off driving while remaining seizure free is considered the period of time needed for the risk of a further seizure to have fallen to an appropriate level. Where epilepsy is not managed appropriately, the individual is more likely to suffer a relapse of seizures. These drivers will not meet the criteria to hold a driving licence.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Strategy, Policy and Communications Directorate Longview Road Morriston Swansea SA6 7JL Phone: 01792 788578 Email: @dvla.gov.uk Website:
Your Ref:
Our Ref:
Date:
24 November 2020
When drivers reapply for their driving licence following a diagnosis of epilepsy, they must make a written declaration that they will follow their doctor’s advice regarding treatment, attend the appointments required to clinically manage their condition and advise the DVLA of any further seizure they may experience. This is to ensure that only those with a low risk of seizure are issued with a licence to drive.
The rules governing epilepsy and seizures are regularly reviewed by the medical experts on Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Disorders of the Nervous System. As road safety is our priority, I will ask the panel to review the period of time required off driving before someone who has suffered a seizure can regain their driving licence.
Thank you for your report, of 16 October to Dr made under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and Regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013, following the inquest you conducted into the death of Mr William Edward Turner. Your report has been sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) as, although the Secretary of State’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Disorders of the Nervous System and Driving provides expert advice, the DVLA is responsible for ensuring drivers can meet the required medical standards.
I was very sorry to learn of the tragic circumstances of this case and would like to express my sincere condolences to Mr Turner’s family.
Your report asks whether the timeframes for drivers who experience seizures might be revisited and reviewed, in light of the circumstances of this case.
It may help if I explain that for epilepsy, the fitness to drive standards are based on the risk of seizure recurrence while driving. When considering the appropriate health standards for driving, a balance needs to be made between road safety and the needs of drivers who experience seizures.
For drivers with well-managed epilepsy, 12 months off driving while remaining seizure free is considered the period of time needed for the risk of a further seizure to have fallen to an appropriate level. Where epilepsy is not managed appropriately, the individual is more likely to suffer a relapse of seizures. These drivers will not meet the criteria to hold a driving licence.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Strategy, Policy and Communications Directorate Longview Road Morriston Swansea SA6 7JL Phone: 01792 788578 Email: @dvla.gov.uk Website:
Your Ref:
Our Ref:
Date:
24 November 2020
When drivers reapply for their driving licence following a diagnosis of epilepsy, they must make a written declaration that they will follow their doctor’s advice regarding treatment, attend the appointments required to clinically manage their condition and advise the DVLA of any further seizure they may experience. This is to ensure that only those with a low risk of seizure are issued with a licence to drive.
The rules governing epilepsy and seizures are regularly reviewed by the medical experts on Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Disorders of the Nervous System. As road safety is our priority, I will ask the panel to review the period of time required off driving before someone who has suffered a seizure can regain their driving licence.