The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has released a comprehensive list of medical conditions that drivers are legally obligated to report. This measure aims to ensure road safety by preventing individuals with conditions that might impair their driving abilities from operating vehicles.
Failing to inform the DVLA about a relevant medical condition can result in a hefty fine of up to £1,000. John Wilmot, CEO of LeaseLoco, a car leasing comparison website, emphasizes the importance of compliance, highlighting that many drivers rely on their vehicles for work and leisure. He acknowledges that surrendering a license can be a significant hardship, but it’s essential to prioritize safety for both the driver and other road users.
The DVLA’s data reveals that between January 2014 and April 2024, nearly 650,000 driving licenses were revoked due to medical reasons. This includes over 552,000 licenses for cars and motorcycles, and an additional 95,131 licenses for heavy goods vehicles, such as lorries and buses. The number of revocations has been steadily increasing in recent years, possibly due to the impact of the Covid pandemic on driving habits and updates to the DVLA’s medical conditions list.
It is crucial for individuals with any medical conditions on the DVLA’s list to report them promptly. This ensures that appropriate measures can be taken to protect the driver and others. While some conditions might necessitate the surrender of a driving license, others allow for a temporary suspension, pending a doctor’s assessment of the driver’s ability to operate a vehicle safely.
Here is a comprehensive list of medical conditions that must be reported to the DVLA:
Absence seizures, Acoustic neuroma, Addison’s disease, Agoraphobia, Alcohol problems, Alzheimer’s disease, Amaurosis fugax, Amputations, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Angina, Angioplasty, Ankylosing spondylitis, Anorexia nervosa, Anxiety, Aortic aneurysm, Arachnoid cyst, Arrhythmia, Atrial defibrillator, Arteriovenous malformation, Arthritis, Asperger syndrome, Ataxia, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Autistic spectrum condition, Balloon angioplasty (leg), Bipolar disorder, Blackouts, Blepharospasm, Blood clots, Blood pressure treatment, Brachial plexus injury, Brain abscess, cyst or encephalitis, Brain aneurysm, Brain angioma, Brain haemorrhage, Brain injury (traumatic), Brain tumours, Broken limbs, Brugada syndrome, Burr hole surgery, Caesarean section, Cancer (leukaemia is listed separately below), Cataracts, Catheter ablation, Cardiac problems, Carotid artery stenosis, Cataplexy, Cavernoma, Central venous thrombosis, Cerebral palsy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Chronic aortic dissection, Cognitive problems, Congenital heart disease, Convulsions, Coronary artery bypass or disease, Coronary angioplasty, Cranial nerve palsy (with double vision), Deafness, Defibrillator (implanted), Déjà vu, Dementia, Depression, Diabetes, Dilated cardiomyopathy, Diplopia (double vision), Dizziness, Drug misuse, Eating disorders, Empyema (brain), Epilepsy, Essential tremor, Eye conditions, Fainting, Fits, Fractured skull, Friedreich’s ataxia, Glaucoma, Global amnesia, Grand mal seizures, Guillain-Barré syndrome, Head injury, Heart attack, Heart arrhythmia, Heart failure, Heart murmurs, Heart palpitations, Heart valve disease or replacement valve, High blood pressure, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Huntington’s disease, Hydrocephalus, Hypertension, Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Hypoglycaemia, Hypoxic brain damage, Hysterectomy, Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), Intracerebral haemorrhage, Ischaemic heart disease, Kidney dialysis, Kidney problems, Korsakoff’s syndrome, Labyrinthitis, Learning disabilities, Left bundle branch block, Leukaemia, Lewy body dementia, Limb disability, Long QT syndrome, Loss of an eye, Low blood sugar, Lumboperitoneal shunt, Lung cancer, Lymphoma, Macular degeneration, Malignant brain tumours, Malignant melanoma, Manic depressive psychosis, Marfan’s syndrome, Medulloblastoma, Memory problems (severe), Meningioma, Mini-stroke, Monocular vision (sight in one eye only), Motor neurone disease, Multiple sclerosis, Muscular dystrophy, Myasthenia gravis, Myocardial infarction, Myoclonus, Narcolepsy, Night blindness, Obsessive compulsive disorder, Obstructive sleep apnoea, Ocular myasthenia gravis (with double vision), Ophthalmoplegia (with double vision), Pacemakers, Palpitations, Paranoia, Paranoid schizophrenia, Paraplegia, Parkinson’s disease, Peripheral arterial disease, Peripheral neuropathy, Personality disorder, Petit mal seizures, Pituitary tumour, Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Psychosis, Psychotic depression, Pulmonary arterial hypertension, Renal dialysis, Retinal artery fugax, Retinitis pigmentosa, Retinopathy (with laser treatment), Schizo-affective disorder, Schizophrenia, Scotoma, Seizures, Severe communication disorders, Severe depression, Sight in one eye only, Sleep apnoea, Sleepiness (excessive), Spinal problems and injuries, Stroke, Subarachnoid haemorrhage, Surgery (if you are post-operation), Syncope, Tachycardia, Temporal lobe epilepsy, Tonic clonic fits, Tourette’s syndrome, Transient global amnesia, Transient ischaemic attack, Tunnel vision, Usher syndrome, Valve disease or replacement valve, Ventricular defibrillator, Vertigo, Vision in one eye only, Visual acuity (reduced), Visual field defect, VP shunts, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
By adhering to these reporting requirements, drivers can ensure they are legally compliant and contribute to a safer driving environment for themselves and other road users.
