ORB you do the right thing to consider this. Meanwhile I dare say as someone who thinks about your driving you are a good deal safer than the “fit” automatons who inhabit many cars these days.

We had three family members who were persuaded by other members to hang up the keys in recent years due to physical or mental deterioration. In none of these cases had the medics suggested this but when we felt we wouldn’t let them drive us around anymore it was time for a bit of gentle persuasion.

Have you anyone in the family you can use for an objective view of your driving in the weeks ahead?

I hope you have many unlocked miles ahead.

Edited by catsdad on 05/01/2021 at 14:46

You may recall that I posted a few months ago to say that I had reluctantly given up driving due to AMD. For the past few visits to the optometrist there has been uncertainty as to the extent that cataracts have also been affecting my vision, so I went once again to the opthalmologist who concluded that the cataracts in one eye are at the stage where they need surgery.

I had accelerated my visit to the opthalmologist by consulting an eye surgeon privately, so when I received the NHS verdict I decided to have the cataracts done privately too. The private opthalmologist gave a guarded prognosis of improved vision and I hoped that I might be able to resume driving, if not at least cycling.

So both eyes were operated on in December. The amount of light flooding in now is staggering. I had been living in an almost twilight world, or so it seemed. However, some four weeks post-op I’m not sure I shall be able to drive again. Vision is certainly improved and I no longer need glasses except for reading, but I think the AMD is too far advanced in one eye to make driving a possibility. I tried a bike ride a couple of days ago and whilst it felt just about safe, that wouldn’t be good enough for driving unfortunately.

I have my follow-up consultation with the surgeon tomorrow and one of the questions I shall be asking him is whether I can expect any further improvement in vision or whether this is as good as it is likely to get. I’m prepared for disappointment, but who knows?

Very good news Skidpan, and hope all continues to go well, ORB.

I seem to remember there being a response to a simliar thread a long time ago that there was no requirement to notify the DVLA until the condition becomes "so bad that one can't drive". That's completely false, as it contravenes S. 94 (RTA '88). Did you notify them? If you've passed all of the required vision tests (Snellen, FOV) then you will have no problems. It's also on the list of notifiable conditions, as published by the DVLA (https://www.gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving/find-condition-a-to-z)

I will copy the response I gave there.

The relevant legislation governing physical fitness to drive (RTA 1988) does not make any recommendation on when to inform the SoS, neither are there conditions for informing.

To quote directly:

94 Provision of information, etc. relating to disabilities.

(1)If at any time during the period for which his licence remains in force, a licence holder becomes aware—

(a)that he is suffering from a relevant or prospective disability which he has not previously disclosed to the Secretary of State, or

(b)that a relevant or prospective disability from which he has at any time suffered (and which has been previously so disclosed) has become more acute since the licence was granted,

• the licence holder must forthwith notify the Secretary of State in writing of the nature and extent of his disability.

(2)The licence holder is not required to notify the Secretary of State under subsection (1) above if—

• (a)the disability is one from which he has not previously suffered, and

• (b)he has reasonable grounds for believing that the duration of the disability will not extend beyond the period of three months beginning with the date on which he first becomes aware that he suffers from it.

(3)A person who fails without reasonable excuse to notify the Secretary of State as required by subsection (1) above is guilty of an offence.

If you're involved in a bad accident and an insurance company go looking through your medical records your insurance will be void and you could be liable for fine (or worse,) prosecution.

Here, a relevant or prospective disability is one that could affect driving, or could affect driving in the future. Most medical doctors would agree that your disability falls under both categories.

“relevant disability” in relation to any person means—

• (a) any prescribed disability, and

• (b) any other disability likely to cause the driving of a vehicle by him in pursuance of a licence to be a source of danger to the public, and

“prospective disability” in relation to any person means any other disability which—

• (a) at the time of the application for the grant of a licence or, as the case may be, the material time for the purposes of the provision in which the expression is used, is not of such a kind that it is a relevant disability, but

• (b) by virtue of the intermittent or progressive nature of the disability or otherwise, may become a relevant disability in course of time.

Edited by Jamie3141 on 15/12/2021 at 18:21