MikeFellows
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 03:08 PM |
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fiend told by doctor no longer allowed to drive
you guys seem to know the answers to everything on here, so here goes...
I have a friend who's father has liver cancer and as such has been told he is no longer allowed to drive.
this is not a permanent thing (I'm not sure if it makes a difference though) but it is for the foreseeable future (if he makes it through).
my mate doesn't live anywhere close to his father who lives on his own and doesn't sound particularly mobile.
but he continues to drive his car about.
do the dvla write to him requesting his licence back?
is the onus on him to just stop as it doesn't sound like he is going to? if he does just have to stop himself, what can you do about stopping
him driving (last resort is obviously that someone goes and just removes the car from him)
anyone's thoughts are more than welcome
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Humbug
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 03:13 PM |
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Has he actually been told by the doc he must not drive, or just advised that it wouldn't be a very good idea? If the first, then if something
happened and they found out, the insurance would be invalid and presumably he would also be done for driving without a valid licence etc.
I don't think the DVLA would write to him asking for his licence - how would they know unless the doc has told them?
If it's temporary, then the doc should specify for how long/under what circumstances.
If I were your mate I would be concerned for my dad and the possible consequences (for him and other road users) if he continues to drive after being
advised/told not to...
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loggyboy
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 03:14 PM |
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IIRC if your told by a Dr that you can no longer drive, but you carry on, your not driving in accordance with your licence and as such can be
prosecuted in the same way as someone who was banned.
Not sure how the police/DVLA would find out though.
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fathead
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 03:19 PM |
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In my late teens, I had my licence taken off me due to epilepsy. If I remember rightly, the doctor informed the DVLA and the DVLA wrote to me saying
that I was not fit to drive until otherwise proven via medical evidence. It took the best part of 18 months before all the tests came back and I was
issued with a note from the hospital that I had to send off to the DVLA.
The main thing for him to remember is that he is not insured and that if pulled over, I guess the details on the DVLA system will say that he is unfit
to drive. Not only will this leave him in trouble now but will also cause problems when he is declared fit to drive.
Whether or not this is still the case, I don't know but I remember rightly that is what happened to me about 11 years ago.
HTH
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mrwibble
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 03:22 PM |
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working in optics we have dealings with people who shouldn't be driving quite a bit. The general line if someone can't see well enough to
drive is that their insurance would be invalid if they had an accident, obviously a copper would have to ask the right questions for this to come to
light though. It generally crops up when a patient is required to renew their license and they have to complete a form regarding their medical
health. For what reason should he not be driving, perhaps its the medication he is taking, i.e pain killers? i dont know whether the GP is allowed to
contact the DVLA about fitness to drive as this may breach patient confidentiality, and indeed opticians reporting patients who cannot see well
enough can be struck from the optical register.
[Edited on 8/7/10 by mrwibble]
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edspurrier
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 03:22 PM |
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He is required to tell the DVLA himself, and also his insurance company.
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MikeFellows
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 03:30 PM |
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we understand all the reasons for him not driving (both moral and legal) if he hits someone, has an accident etc...
its how do we get him to stop without physically taking the car from him, that would cause massive fallouts in the family if you know what i mean.
our thoughts where to call the doc and ask if they wrote to the dvla and if not ask her too. call the police and try and explain in the nicest
possible way so hopefully they dont prosecute but maybe crush his car (its worth maybe £500).
does that make sense?
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fathead
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 03:35 PM |
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My parents initially hid the keys from me. It caused big rows but realised after the initial upset that it was for my own good.
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BenB
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 03:35 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by edspurrier
He is required to tell the DVLA himself, and also his insurance company.
Yup. It's true. If the Doc says you must not be driving it's an offense to do so. Then again it depends.
I regularly tell people that they probably shouldn't (in that if they had an accident the insurance would be invalidated as the insurer would
say you weren't fit to drive (e.g. broken toe so cannot do an emergency stop) but then I sometimes have to say people mustn't (e.g.
narcolespy, epilepsy, frequent collapses as mentioned etc etc).
Personally I'd suggest he double checks whether the Doc is advising him not to or telling him he must not. It depends on what problems the liver
cancer is causing. It can, for example, result in fitting (which obviously would be "a bad thing" when driving). But other than that it
might just be a recommendation.
Otherwise you can just ring the DVLA and inform them on his behalf. They'll send a letter revoking his driving license. Simples.
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stevebubs
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 03:45 PM |
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Get your friend to call his father's GP and discuss the problem with him. They may not be able to talk specifics but the Doctor will be able to
offer advice and perhaps take positive action.
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Ninehigh
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 04:24 PM |
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I think the best way to remove him from the driving seat (aside from DVLA/Doctor's enforcement) would be to tell him it's for his own good
(don't want him having a fit/drowsy spell/whatever at 70mph) and offer (as a group) to take him wherever he needs to go.
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Humbug
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 04:25 PM |
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Slightly O/T, but I've just noticed the title of the thread is "fiend told by doctor no longer allowed to drive" 
(0 0)
vv
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JoelP
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 05:46 PM |
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to play devils advocate, surely it is up to your friends father to decide if he obeys the advice/instructions he's been given regarding driving?
Is he senile too?
Beware! Bourettes is binfectious.
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MikeFellows
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 06:17 PM |
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of course its up to him to decide, however say he ran one of your family members over, would you not wish someone had stopped him driving?
I think the GP route seems a good place to start and some clarification on weather he has been told or recommended to stop driving.
Thanks all.
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robinj66
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 06:29 PM |
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Only call the police as a last resort - once you start that ball rolling it won't stop!!
As above - contact the Dr and DVLA. If the GP has told him he is medically unfit to drive then the Dr must inform the DVLA.
Insurance in this situation is almost certainly invalid
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BenB
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 09:31 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by robinj66
As above - contact the Dr and DVLA. If the GP has told him he is medically unfit to drive then the Dr must inform the DVLA.
Not true I'm afraid. The responsibility lies with the patient to tell the DVLA.
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meany
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 09:59 PM |
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Have a look at the following link, this is something i have had to deal with all my adult life, from a patients point of view.
http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/medical/ataglance.aspx
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wilkingj
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| posted on 8/7/10 at 10:00 PM |
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READ the DVLA website it covers all the circumstances.
LINKY
I recently had to stop driving until I was deemed fit again (I have Obstructive Sleep Apnoea - I wake up 80 times a night, and get very very
tired).
I am now being treated, and have been allowed to drive again.
As soon as your Doc advises you that you must NOT drive, and that you must inform the DVLA, you MUST tell the DVLA.
Its your responsibility to inform the DVLA.
They then contact your doctor, and only when your doctor signs you fit to drive can you drive again.
I made the mistake of phoning the DVLA from work, I was told NOT even to drive home. I have to admit I was fine, and did not fall asleep at the wheel,
and just got very sleepy when I stopped concentrating.
However it was a demand that I did not drive from that point on until I was signed off.
The penalties are pretty draconian, with fines ending in three zeros!
It will ALL depend on your personal medical circumstances, and what the Doctor says.
As I said at the begining, Read the DVLA website, it covers it all in great detail.
To continue to drive after being advised not to by your doctor is a serious offence, expecially after the DVLA tell you not to.
It is also an offence NOT to inform the DVLA after your doctor advises you not to drive and to inform the DVLA.
Its harsh, and I appreciate that it is. But its there for the persons safety, and other people, ie pedestrians and road users alike.
If the person has been advised not to drive, and to inform the DVLA, then they MUST do it.
Whilst it causes personal inconveniences, causing injury or death to someone else by ignoring the issues is just plain out of order.
1. The point of a journey is not to arrive.
2. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Best Regards
Geoff
http://www.v8viento.co.uk
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MikeFellows
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| posted on 9/7/10 at 07:38 AM |
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we really do fully appreciate that the guy should not be driving.
the point is, he is driving and without my mate driving 3-4 hours to physically take his car from him and causing major family issues that they could
do without. what else can they do to stop him?
I know the DVLA website says he has to stop instantly. but he hasnt and my mate doesnt want him on the road as much as the rest of us.
I passed on the info to my mate last night, hes going to call his fathers GP today and go from there.
again thanks for the info guys.
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JoelP
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| posted on 9/7/10 at 02:39 PM |
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patient confidentiality, i doubt you'll get much out of the GP.
If you feel it is for you to decide for him, at least get your friend to call him and tell his dad that he intends to prevent him from driving. Then
call DVLA, then police.
How old is the guy, if you dont mind me asking?
Beware! Bourettes is binfectious.
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MikeFellows
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| posted on 9/7/10 at 03:07 PM |
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65ish I believe
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Steve Hignett
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| posted on 9/7/10 at 05:58 PM |
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If his car was "stolen" then he wouldn't be able to drive it, prob wouldn't get enough pay out to replace it, wouldn't
disrupt the family, he would save face from admitting that he can't drive... etc etc
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Minicooper
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| posted on 9/7/10 at 07:02 PM |
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Has he been told that he cannot drive fullstop or advised it's best if he didn't drive.
In my case for instance I was told by my GP that it probably would be a good idea not to drive until my problems were sorted. Had a word with my
insurance company and was told it was fine, when I contacted DVLA it wasn't a problem unless I was driving a bus/taxi/lorry and such like
Cheers
David
[Edited on 10/7/10 by Minicooper]
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Angel Acevedo
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| posted on 10/7/10 at 12:53 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by MikeFellows
we understand all the reasons for him not driving (both moral and legal) if he hits someone, has an accident etc...
its how do we get him to stop without physically taking the car from him, that would cause massive fallouts in the family if you know what i mean.
our thoughts where to call the doc and ask if they wrote to the dvla and if not ask her too. call the police and try and explain in the nicest
possible way so hopefully they dont prosecute but maybe crush his car (its worth maybe £500).
does that make sense?
Tell him to build a Locost, then start dismantling
Beware of what you wish.. for it may come true....
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