GETTING behind the wheel of a car may seem innocuous – but you are taking control of something potentially deadly.

Across the UK, thousands of people are injured in road collisions every year.

And having a medical episode while driving can lead to a fatal loss of control.

Which is why the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) requires drivers and motorcyclists to inform them of certain medical conditions.

If you have some conditions, you must declare it to the DVLA – but for other less serious conditions, you should only flag it up if it affects your driving.

You can be fined up to £1,000 if you don’t tell the DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving.

These are some of the more common conditions that driver must tell the DVLA about:

A

  • Absence seizures
  • AIDS
  • Alcohol problem
  • Alzheimer’s
  • Amputated limbs

B

  • Bipolar conditions
  • Blood clot in the brain
  • Brain injury (traumatic)
  • Brain tumour
  • Broken limb, if it means you have been unable to drive for at least three months

C

  • Cerebral palsy
  • Cognitive problems

D

  • Déjà vu – if its related to seizures.
  • Dementia
  • Defibrillator implant
  • Dizziness – if it is “sudden and disabling”

E

  • Epileptic seizures or blackouts
  • Fits, seizures or convulsions

H

  • Heart palpitations
  • Hypoglycaemia

L

  • Learning disabilities: "You must tell DVLA if you have a learning disability. You do not need to tell DVLA if you have learning difficulties, for example dyslexia."

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M

  • Manic depressive psychosis
  • Memory problems – if they are severe
  • Motor neurone disease
  • Muscular dystrophy
  • Multiple sclerosis

N

  • Narcolepsy
  • Night blindness

P

  • Pacemaker
  • Paranoid schizophrenia
  • Paraplegia
  • Parkinson's
  • Psychosis

S

  • Serious head injury
  • Severe memory problems
  • Sleepiness – if extreme. The DVLA say: “You must tell DVLA if you have:

• confirmed moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), with excessive sleepiness

• either narcolepsy or cataplexy, or both

• any other sleep condition that has caused excessive sleepiness for at least 3 months - including suspected or confirmed mild OSAS

• medication that you’re taking that has caused excessive sleepiness for at least 3 months (or has caused excessive sleepiness in the past).”

Forms can be filled in on the DVLA website.