DVLA

Everyday living
1

Hi all, hope eveyones as well as can be!

Do I need to inform the DVLA Ive got PPMS and if so would anyone know what form I need? Also, what are they likely to do?

Thanks

Steve

2

yes it is a legal requirement if you have ms.

just call them up or email them and they send you the form which you need. its very easy but in many cases takes them a long time to sort thing out.

you also must inform your insurance company. dont worry you premium wont rise or should not as they are breaking the law if the do try and charge more(disability discrimination act i think)

hope that helps

3

Hi Steve Yes you do need to tell them, as soon as possible. There is a form that you can download from their website however I found this quite complicated so instead I phoned them up. This meant I got to speak to a wonderful person who explained everything very clearly for me, it also meant they logged the change in my circumstances immediately so as far as insurance etc goes I could still drive legally whilst waiting for the DVLA to make a decision (again a good thing as I am still waiting for a decision and I first contacted them at the beginning of January!) I personally do not feel well enough to drive at the moment so have decided not to, but I wanted to inform the DVLA as soon as possible to make sure I am legal and fully insured if and when I decide to get behind the wheel again. Zoe x

4

If you Google DVLA you will see there is a plethora of forms which you can print off then colour in.You need to inform DVLA about your condition, and your car insurance company…Immediately, and tell them you are still waiting on Swansea.

After a very very long time the ‘good’ citizens of Swansea might get in touch with your Neurotic to get its opinion on your fitness to drive. In all probability they will issue you with a three year medical licence which will be renewed on the Neurotic’s say so,or you may have to go for an assessment. You will only be able to drive up to 3.5 ton and there will be minibus restrictions. If you have a bike licence I prescribe a Fire Blade…Right now

Good luck, Wb

5

i have just done this today. i went online and found the form here:-

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/MedicalRulesForDrivers/MedicalA-Z/DG_185685

i filled in the form and faxed it and am actually quite worried but i am fortunate that i can drive ok but it still is a worry as i need the car etc.

juliex

6

Form CN1 http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_073745.pdf

7

Thanks everyone

8

I really wouldn’t worry Julie (easier said than done I know).

They will more than likely issue a 3 year licence, it just takes time. In fact I have yet to hear of anybody who has lost their licence. Most people just move onto driving an adapted car, my left foot doesn’t always follow instructions these days so I now drive an automatic, after that there are hand controls…

9

hi there

legally the only people you need to tell is the DVLA…the insurance company will only catch up with you when a firm dx of ms is made and the dvla put you on a 3 year license and you come to renew your policy

take care

10

I’m not convinced by anon’s previous reply - if you’ve got a confirmed diagnosis but haven’t told your insurance company, then your insurance could well be invalid. You should definitely tell them straight away. But as mickthetrick said, it shouldn’t affect your premium.

Dan

11

Confirmed Dx? Not told the Insurance Co.? Then insurance IS invalid.

The wording is usually something like you having to inform them of anything that effects a material change to the policy.
It’s not the MS that causes the problem, it’s not telling them.

Fitting “winter” tyres (and not telling them) has been enough in the past, for them to say that their conditions have not been complied with.

I use a broker. I gave the broker a letter for the Insurance Co. and then asked them to confirm that the Company had been informed - this was all done in one phone-call while I sat there, followed by faxing the letter through. Made no difference to my policy, or my premiums - but I am covered.

I used the same letter, including the words that my Consultant had considered me safe to drive, for Insurance and DVLA - just changing the addresses and the line that said that the other had been informed.

The DVLA work to their own rules (and slowly, too) and it can have funny results. I should have a two-year licence on account of my age, but they have given me a three-year one on account of my MS.

Just remember that they will probably ask for your old licence to be returned, saying that you can use their letter as authority to drive. Forget to return the old licence. Why? That letter will not be accepted outside the UK, unless you are very lucky. Imagine trying to explain to a Gendarme (or similar), or a car rental company, why you do not have a photo-driving licence. I have heard of people waiting up to six months for a new licence to come through (I was only without one for one month, though).

Does it matter? Well, a lot of people to try to get as much into their lives as they can, between Dx and serious incapacity, and a licence can be useful. I managed four trips to the US (six different hire cars) between Dx and not being able to cope with long-haul flights any more. You may want to visit the relation in Australia, or go to Madrid, or Rome etc. Do it while you still can! Me, I am planning one more trip to France - but it needs planning. Hotels must have ground floor rooms or a lift (and that excludes a lot of the little country inns that are so nice to stay in). But I will manage it - somehow.

Geoff

12

hi

i will reiterate my post…LEGALLY the only people you need to tell is the DVLA…

take care

13

I just checked the websites of a few car insurance companies and they generally agreed in saying that your insurance may be invalid if you do not inform them of a medical condition. I would have that not having valid car insurance means you are effectively driving uninsured. That presumably means you’re required to tell them when you get a confirmed diagnosis, though I’m not a legal expert of course.

Dan

14

ok…here’s one…what medical qaulifications do call cantre operators have in an insurance company?..can they decide your fitness to drive??..don’t think so!!..the only people that can decide on your fitness to drive is the dvla AFTER.they have written to your doc or neuro…yes when it comes to a renewal you have to tell them of your restriction but not your medical condition…

15

OK, I think we maybe starting to split hairs here. Whatever the legalities, it is a very sensible idea to tell your car insurance company and to be honest I thought you had to.

In my experience all they were interested in is what the DVLA’s verdict is and it made not one iota of difference to my car insurance. However I did tell them.

16

i rang DVLA and told them that i was no longer driving, hoping to avoid having to renew my tax. the lady told me that i had the option of vountarily relinquishing my licence, which i did. i had only just got my dx so i had to act fast.

2 years later i asked for my licence back and got it within a week! then got a motability car and bob’s my uncle!!

it seems that as long as you are letting them know, they will be supportive.

carole x

17

Wrong! If you take out insurance, the form you sign becomes part of a legal contract. Both parties are bound by this contract. To be sure, the Insurance Company will not come after you for not telling them - they don’t have to. They just cancel your policy. Now you are not insured. Now the Police may be interested.

Oh, and if you have just bumped into another car, the firm you thought were your insurers may noy pay out - because you broke a legal contract by not telling them. The other driver can now come after you as the person legally responsible.

That’t why the advice here will always be to tell your Insurance Company right away.

Geoff