Driving

[Penny]

Could anyone tell me if they had difficulty getting their driving licence back from dvla after a asah. I had one in July 2017 and a shunt fitted Oct 2017. I had a seizure after my op and I understand I have to wait a year. I’m about to apply again., I applied two months ago but after writing to my surgeon who obv said I’d had a seizure they said it had to be a year but could apply two months before. Has anyone else had problems? Did you get your licence back? My GP says I am fit to drive. 

[Johnnie M]

Hi Penny. May I ask if you have received a letter from the DVLA which revoked your licence? If so, did it tell you what the 'exceptional case' rules are, or give you nay guidance as to when you can reapply? If not, do you have any loss of vision which may affect your ability to drive or is it just that you had a 'notifiable event'?

 

I had my licence revoked due to loss of visual field but was allowed to reapply subject to certain criteria being met. If you have no loss of visual field then the same rules may not apply to you so, before I try to answer your specific query,  I will wait until you let us know what the DVLA have told you. I presume they have written to you or you have spoken to them? If not, do that first to find out what your option are and what is required of you.

 

Warning though, DVLA are notoriously slow and it can be a very frustrating process to go through as everything seems to take for ever! The people you speak to on the phone, however, are very nice and generally understanding.

 

There is lots of information we can give here (and much reassurance too!) but we need more details in order to properly steer you, hopefully, in the right direction.

[Daffodil]

Penny, if you are cleared by your neurosurgeon and GP then you can reapply. grand Mal Seizures, invasive surgery which includes shunt or EVD means an automatic revoke of licence for a set period but once this time has passed you should be able to reapply but Johnnie is right it is a slow process. Like you I had Shunt surgery a few months on from my SAH so reset the clock and so was without license for over 14 months if I recall rightly . 

 

I didn’t get asked to take more tests just the confirmation from my doctors was enough ...that said I couldn’t and wouldn’t have driven sooner but I was very glad to get back behind the wheel , felt blessed to have the opportunity to do so and took it slow. 

 

Be warned though, cognitively it takes a lot out of you so build up slowly when you do get it back and share with us how you get on. 

[Penny]

Johnnie M. When I reported my SAH six months after the op they asked for my licence back. I re applied in January and they wrote to my consultant who said I’d had a seizure after my WV’s that was July 2917 so I have to wait a year but can apply two months before. As they have my consultants comments and that won’t change will they write to my gp now?  I saw him in January and due to see him next week. He is happy for me to drive again.

 

Any advise re dvla? I said last time I might lose my job if I couldn’t drive and they said they would try and fast process it. I hope they will do this again. 

[Penny]

Daffodil. As dvla have my consultants comments and I can reapply after a year, but two months early they say. Did dvla write to your gp ? Obviously they wrote to your hospital re the op and shunt. Did you contact the dvla? Or did they just send your licence back after your re application. Gosh it’s a minefield and I am so cut off not driving 

[Daffodil]

Penny, they wrote and contacted both but the GP was quicker to respond. I had to really chase up my consulting team as the DVLA medical  team wouldn’t budge until they had that. If you have both consents already then hopefully they will be fast but it may need chasing. 

 

Not driving is so hard, you can get a free bus pass but it doesn’t always help depending on where you live. Also access to work can help as well and worth looking at as they can help with travel costs on occassion. 

 

Someone who has done this more recently and been in touch with DVLA this year like Johnny may know more as processes change all as do the scope of reportable conditions 

good luck. 

[Johnnie M]

Dear Penny

 

By the sound of it you have had your licence revoked because of the seizure. I had mine taken because I failed the visual test as well as having the stroke. They also made we wait one year before I could reapply for my full licence to be returned but this was because they need to know that you have been seizure/stroke free for one year. You will need to look at the letter you received from the DVLA to see what they expect of you after one year. 

 

You are correct in that you can apply 8 weeks before the end of the year. I would strongly urge you to do this as it will save you time. It will still take a long time for the DVLA to deal with your case. I put my application in on 1st August 2017. I got my licence back last Thursday (24th May 2018).

 

If you are able to take a photo of your letter (no need for personal details just the paragraph which tells you how to get your licence back) then we can hopefully help or make suggestions as to what you could do to pre-empt what the DVLA might require of you. 

 

Best of luck!

 

 

[Johnnie M]

It is almost 7 months since this thread was last visited. I am wondering whether Penny managed to get back on the road? It would be lovely to hear from you Penny, just to let us know the latest. There may be others here who could learn from your experiences.

 

The root cause of you having your licence revoked is not the same as mine as it didn't involve loss of vision. I also suspect that if you do have your licence back it is due to a time based limitation? Did you have to take a driving assessment, for instance, or did you get it back from a report issued to the DVLA confirming that you hadn't had another 'event' within the past year.

 

I really hope that we can hear positive news Penny! Hopefully you are not able to read this because you are on a trip in your car!

 

JM