Finollie

The amazing news that my full driving licence was mine again was emailed to me at 6.15am today from a very efficient and helpful member of the DVLA team!!!! Contacted my insurance company and just as you said, I had my insurance reinstated free of charge immediately. Needless to say I have already been out for a couple of short local drives and the sense of freedom is indescribable!!!! Thank you to all of you on this forum for the advice and support- I will never forget it. Dave ( Finollie)

Thank you to all of you for your help and support. I was really convinced that my insurance premium would go up so it’s great to think that this may not happen. I will let you know when the precious licence arrives through the postbox! F

Thanks so much for all your advice and enthusiasm! Can I ask- did your insurance premium go up as a result of losing your licence?

Hello again! Well the amazing day arrived today- my assessment!!!!!! I had to go to a centre in north wales to do it but I didn’t care!!!!! I’m pleased to say that I did really well and I was told that their recommendation is that I can have my licence back! Still won’t be 100% ecstatic until my licence arrives through the letterbox but there’s absolutely no reason for the Dvla to refuse it . It’s been a roller coaster of emotions, frustration and anger since I lost my licence but this is amazing! Can’t wait to get back to driving again- freedom! Happy new year!!

Thank you Johnnie! We are so pleased that the never ending banging of our heads against the Dvla wall is having some effect! The 88 page report compiled by the private Opthalmic consultant seems to have had an immediate impact- he was very clear that I should have a practical test. My test will probably be in Chester. I will ring the Dvla tomorrow to ask if it’s possible to get a provisional licence before the test- the form I’ve filled in clearly states it’s just for the test. Thank you for all your support and positive comments- appreciate it.

Had a great email from the Dvla this morning- they are letting me do a practical assessment!!!!! All our hard work is hopefully paying off! If anyone has any advice about the driving assessment/ what it’s like etc , I would appreciate it! Thanks

7/120 missing dots!

Just back in from my private eye consultation in Manchester- very thorough but again a frustrating experience! It seems consultants are reluctant to commit to a written statement- I took the exceptional rules list we have been sent from the Dvla saying all we need is confirmation of adaptation to my visual loss as I fit all the other criteria- can’t be any more direct! We got the visual field test results from today ( no change from all the others I’ve had ) so that will go off to the Dvla with yet another letter. I ring almost every day , my case manager rings once a week - brick wall. I will try and put a picture of my field test on once I’ve shrunk it down! Thanks for your support and advice.

Hello again! Well I’m still ‘jumping through hoops ‘ to try and get my license back and getting extremely frustrated with the whole process. I’ve had verbal confirmation from my consultant ophthalmologist that he feels my field vision has improved and he sees no reason why I can’t drive but getting anything on paper that the DVLA will accept is a totally different matter. I’m going to an eye hospital this morning as part of my personal injury case ( medical legal appointment) so I’m really hoping that some useful evidence will come out of it.!Has anyone else really struggled to get the DVLA to understand what the exceptional rules are and that they exist for people who can’t pass a field vision test? So frustrating. I just want to drive again. Any advice/ help would be gratefully received! Thanks

Thanks for your advice Johnny- I must say that your story is absolutely inspirational and has given me a glimmer of hope in this seemingly never ending battle. Yes it was the Dvla who revoked my license at the end of May- a truly devastating day as I’m sure you understand only too well. Following my one off isolated ‘event’ with an Audi Q7 in May 2016 I suffered two brain injuries along with a number of other injuries which I felt overjoyed to have survived! In critical care I noticed that I had lost some peripheral vision in my right eye but in time this disappeared ( more likely my brain adapted to it as it healed) I felt lucky that I had not lost my sight but my reading was affected ( acquired dyslexia) - now much improved.! Anyway, after this head injury I had to surrender my license and was unable to drive for 9 months. It was an amazing day when I got my license back in March 2017. No mention of having to have a vision test from the DVLA because it wasn’t a symptom of the brain injury that I was aware of even though it must have been there all the time. In October 2016 , before I got my license back, I had to go to Specsavers to get new glasses so I had a sight test. It was at this point that they told me that there was right sided periferal loss but I wasn’t told to inform my Gp or the DVLA so I had no reason to worry about it. In February 2018 I had an appointment with a neurologist as part of my personal injury case and I mentioned that this vision loss had been found ( silly me!) - he referred me to an ophthalmologist who tested my eyes and promptly told me to stop driving and inform the Dvla! I did so and my license was revoked after taking the Specsavers esterman test in May. Devastating. Im slightly concerned that in my letter from the Dvla there is no mention of trying to get my license back via the exceptional rules route? I feel that I should have a good case - it’s just getting the evidence. Ive contacted my case manager who has been in touch with the neurologist to try and get back to see him hopefully to get some evidence from him? I’ve got to see the ophthalmologist again in August so I will present all the Specsavers field test printouts from the last 18 months that show no change in my vision and hope he agrees. What else can I do? I did have an occupational therapist who has discharged me - perhaps contact her? I also have a clinical neuropsychologist who has one last appointment with me next week- ask him too!! Amazing how many ‘ologists ‘ I have working on my case!!!! sorry that this is a long rambling reply- one last question- did you ever manage to pass the field test? I know I will never be able to pass it - my injury is permanent now. Thank you you for giving me and my family a bit of hope. D

Thanks for that advice- I will try and contact the neurologist to show him all the evidence I have that my vision loss is stable and I have adapted to it.

Hello, I’ve just joined this very informative group after trawling through various sites trying to find information about the DVLA exceptional rules. I have a brain injury caused by a serious car accident in May 2016 ( isolated event!) and as a result have loss of peripheral vision ( picked up in a standard eye check up at Specsavers in October 2016 who did not feel it required investigation by DVLA! ) In May 2018 , as part of my personal injury case, I was referred to a consultant ophthalmologist by a neurologist who then tested me and told me not to drive and to inform the DVLA ! I couldn’t believe it- I went straight back to specsavers who did the same visual field test and frustratingly they said that because the area of loss had not changed over 18 months they would not feel it necessary to tell the Dvla. Since then I have had to return my license and it is very apparent that I will never pass any visual field tests because I have a permanent brain injury. I have read on the DVLA site that there is a way to appeal via the exceptional rule route and I feel that I really should qualify due to the fact that my sight has been affected by a one off incident over 2 years ago and I am totally unaware of any sight problems ( I actually got my license back 9 months after my head injury so have had the freedom of driving for the last 14 months with absolutely no problems at all despite having the same vision ?!) I just wondered if anyone had any advice- I am due back at the hospital to see the ophthalmologist in August- do I try and get him to approve a re-application? Do I go back to the neurologist? I am completely devastated by this loss of my license- any help would be gratefully received.