Amendments proposed for driving licence medical standards

Date: 3/2/2011

Amendments that have been proposed to the minimum medical standards Britons are required to meet in order to obtain a driving licence have been published today (February 3rd).

The Driver Vehicle and Licensing Agency (DVLA) has revealed that the planned changes relate to eyesight, epilepsy and diabetes and are contained within a discussion on the introduction of European minimum medical standards for drivers.

According to the authority, it is recommended that if the Secretary of State's Medical Advisory Panel advised that a relaxation of these rules would still be consistent with road safety, then it proposed that the UK adopt this as standard.

Items under consultation include proposals to reduce the distance at which a number plate can be read from 20 m to 17.5 m.

Meanwhile, people with epilepsy who only suffer seizures during their sleep may be able to apply for a licence after one year, rather than the current three, while people living with diabetes who experience recurrent severe hypoglycaemia and/or impaired hypoglycaemic awareness will not have a licence issued or renewed, should the plans go ahead.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning, said: "We must make sure that only those who are safe to drive are allowed on our roads, while at the same time avoiding placing unnecessary restrictions on people's independence."

This week, the DVLA warned that a scam email is being circulated claiming to be from the authority which requests that recipients update their licence details by following a link.

Posted by Sarah Bailey