UK motorists ‘unfit to drive’ risk ‘flying under the radar’ in DVLA driving licence risk
Motorists across the UK may be travelling with serious medical conditions with many at risk of having their driving licences taken away.
Motorists who could be “unfit to drive” could be “flying under the radar” across Britain's roads in a maior DVLA driving licence warning.
John Kushnick, Legal Operations Director of the National Accident Helpline, raised the alarm with motorists at risk of being caught up in trouble.
He warned many motorists with more unobtrusive medical conditions may not be reporting them despite being at risk.
The warning comes after new DVLA data analysed by LeaseLoco found that a whopping 650,000 drivers have had their driving licence revoked due to medical concerns since 2014.
According to the law, road users have to declare a staggering 112 medical conditions to the DVLA when they crop up.
As well as major health issues such as epilepsy and strokes, conditions which may not affect day-to-day life such as sleep apnea must also be declared.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, John said: “In the last decade, almost 650,000 motorists have had their driving licences taken away on medical grounds.
“This statistic alone is worrying, but what’s worse is considering the fatal consequences that could have occurred because of people driving in an unfit state.
“Further education is necessary on the medical conditions that require the DVLA to be alerted about.
“Many conditions causing people to be unfit to drive fly under the radar, for example, diabetes, drug misuse, heart conditions, visual field defect, alcohol dependency or sleep apnea.
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“Because of this lack of awareness, people may not be aware that they need to give up their licence.”
Motorists who fail to tell DVLA of a medical condition could be hit with major fines in a sizeable blow.
According to GOV.UK, drivers can be charged up to £1,000 by not telling officials of a medical problem which could affect their driving ability.
After informing the DVLA, chiefs will then decide whether a driver should continue holding a licence or have it taken away.
This is more likely depending on the type of illness and how seriously it could affect safety behind the wheel.
Analysis from LeaseLoco of DVLA data found that alcohol dependency was the single biggest reason why motorists had their licence snatched.
A staggering 7,704 have lost their photocard for this reason since the beginning of 2023.
Epilepsy was second with 5,894 affected followed by dementia (4,900) and those suffering from seizures (2,888).
