Hi after a little advice regarding my driving. Apologies if it’s been covered but I can’t find my answers on previous posts on the subject or site.
Having been dx in March I immediately informed DVLA & Insurance co.of my MS as instructed. I have just had my reply from DVLA changing my licence to a 3 yr licence which also takes away some of my driving categories, A & B. Is this 3 yr licence across the board just because you have MS or is it as a result of what possible information my Neuro has given them. I was of the opinion my MS symptoms were mild and was shocked that it has affected my licence.
That then takes me to my car insurance. When I informed them of my dx they asked what DVLA had said, I told them I had just informed them and was waiting on a reply. Now I have the reply do I now have to inform them of this change in licence (3 year medical licence) and does this new licence change anything? Will my premium go up? Is the renewal only a visit to the GP once every 3 yrs to sign a form to say I’m still fit to drive? Do I incur any costs in this 3 year process?
Hope you can clarify for me, this is another unexpected journey my MS is taking me down.
Butterfly66
hi butterfly
most of us on here have a 3 year license. there are exceptions but i can’t remember what they are.
it’s not a problem and the only expense/hassle is having to send a photo off but then again i’m from an era before photo licenses.
your insurance should not increase and if your current insurer tries to put it up they will be in breach of the DDA.
the renewal doesnt involve you seeing your gp. DVLA will ask for medical advice from gp.
don’t worry about it.
carole x
Thanks Carole,
Everything is so new at the moment I’m worrying about everything. I’m sure after a while I’ll start to relax. Thanks for your reply x
Now you have to learn to live with the DVLA bureaucracy.
Every three years a new licence.
Every three years you fill in the same form and tell them that you have MS.
Every three years they write back and tell you that their medical panel cannot make a decision, so here is another form.
Every three years they write to your neuro (maybe just GP) and pass the reply to their medical panel.
Every three years you wait for all this to happen (between two and six months) but you can carry on driving.
Get the picture?
Advice?
Copy every form they send.
Fill them in in pencil so that you get the answers right, then fill in the proper forms…
Keep the copies so that you can refer to them in three year’s time.
It is not a bad idea to tell your neuro’s secretary (or maybe your MS Nurse) that renewal is coming up - then they will know that you really do want that licence.
Groups:
I still have A and B on my licence, so it may be worth asking why yours have gone.
I did mention bureaucracy - because it is not on the list of groups to be removed, I can still legally drive a tank (but I could never get into one)
Geoff
Thanks Geoff,
Great information. I love the tips on copying for future reference & giving the neuro secretary a heads up. At least I know it’s the norm if it takes forever to sort each year.
It was mentioned that if you passed your test before 1997 you would normally also have been given entitlement to drive 3.5-7.5 tonne vehicles & minibuses. Given different categories depending when the licence was issued, C1 & D1 after 1990 or Group A & B before that. I drop into the latter. In 1998 new rules mean that this entitlement cannot be automatically granted when your licence is restricted to 1,2 or 3 yrs for medical reasons. If you’re eligible to re-apply for entitlement to drive those categories you must meet the higher medical standards which apply to bus and lorry drivers. This requires another form D4 & D2 a Dr will examine you & complete a report and you will have to pay the Dr for the report. (Shortened version so don’t quote me on it!)
I don’t think I’ll bother with all of that as I’m probably not going to need them after all as I’m in the process of changing work anyhow.
Butterfly
Good afternoon
I notified DVLA over a year ago about my MS and have just got my 3yr incense.
I strongly advise that you see any medical reports before they are forwarded on to DVLA. The reason I am saying this is because yes i did inform DVLA over a year ago, I got a letter in Jan 15, stating that they were still waiting for relevant reports so I thought nothing of it.
On the 2nd April 2015, I received a letter from DVLA stating that they had revoked my licence due to my GP stating I had double vision. When I spoke to DVLA to find out who had completed the form and made it quite clear to the DVLA that it was wrong, I was told that I would have to go and see my GP to get it sorted. It took me a week to get an appointment with a GP at my surgery and when I explained that I had my licence revoked, the DR asked me why. So I showed him the letter from DVLA. I asked him to go through my records to see if there was any mention of double vision, he said no. He then told me that he would have to pass it on to the GP that signed the form for her to look into. Later that day I received a phone call from my surgery, I asked her where did she get the double vision from and I ws told that it was on the report from my neurologist. That report was at least a year old. I explained to her that DR ****** had told me that there was no mention of double vision and as she read the report she said that I had optical neuritis, by this time I was getting quite impatient so I asked for a copy of this report and the form that the GP stated that I had double vision, it arrived in the post the following day. When I read the neurologist report (which was a year old) it clearly stated that i did not have double vision, the GP had made a major error. I then rang this person back and made it quite clear that they had made a mistake and that I wanted them to fax a letter to DVLA stating that she the information she supplied was incorrect.
After many phone calls to DVLA it took me 6-7 weeks to get my licence back, the stress it caused was unbelievable.
The GP made an error that could potentially caused a relapse through the stress that this caused, and she has not even got the decency to apologise.
Oh Blaze that’s terrible for you. Hope your feeling better and get the apology you deserve from the GP. I’ll definitely enquire about seeing the report before DVLA get it, incase a similar mistake occurs.
Given me a bit of a shock also, I actually get double vision but only when I exercise, once I stop and cool down after five or ten minutes I’m fine again. I was told by my MS nurse when I asked her that I don’t have optical neuritis. Is it optical neuritis that causes the double vision when you heat up? What actually is it? I’m all new to this and really confused.
Optic neuritis causes some loss of (one or more): colour vision, resolution that can’t be corrected with lenses and contrast. It might not be a comprehensive list.
Double vision is usually lack of eye co-ordination.
Generally, any MS symptom might get worse when you heat up. (So don’t get stuck in a traffic jam in hot weather without air conditioning. 
)
In such case, it is natural for the DVLA to bring some changes in your driving policies such as, you cannot drive long distances and only local driving will be permissible to you. This condition will apply for 3 years and after that, you have to undergo for a medical test again and if your reports are fine i,e. you have been recovered from the medical problem, then in such case, MO will give you the fitness medical certificate and that certificate you have to show to DVLA. And on that basis, they will allow you to go for long driving also. Source: http://qwikfix.co.uk/dvla-contact/