upper ref ranges for DVLA blood test

[wolves01]

Does anyone know the upper ref ranges the DVLA are currently using for : CDT,

GGT MCV

AST & ALT

Thanks

[AyrshireK]

According to the website - drinkdriving.org/drink_driv...

It states that - "The Secretary of State's Honorary Medical Advisory Panel has now decided that use of the CDT (Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin) biomarker will now be used as the sole test for assessing the harmful use of alcohol for high risk offenders."

Previous DVLA medical blood tests consisted of liver function tests (LFT) which tested the following biomarkers:

GGT (Gamma GT) - Gamma-glutamyl transferase

MCV (Mean Cell Volume) - Increased red blood cell size

ALT - Alanine aminotransferase & AST - Aspartarte aminotransferase.

CDT (Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin)

The CDT biomarker is reportedly more accurate with the percentage of false positives being relatively low compared to other biomarkers. In a Department of Transport Study (Road Safety Research Report No. 104, 2010), CDT test results were able to identify drinking indicative of harmful or dependent alcohol intake significantly more accurate than other biomarkers.

The CDT test results will operate using a traffic light system of green, amber and red which will correspond to a range of %CDT cut off levels for licensing purposes.

GREEN - %CDT = 2.1% or less

A CDT level of less than 2.2% is considered to be in the normal range and indicates no excessive alcohol intake. A person whose CDT level falls within this range is identified as consuming little or no alcohol and is compatible for licensing.

AMBER - %CDT = 2.2% - 2.9%

A CDT level anywhere between 2.2% and 2.9% is considered to be indicative of possible problematic alcohol consumption. A person whose CDT levels fall within this range is identified as someone who may drink to excess or binge drinks regularly and will trigger further enquiries with that persons general practitioner (GP) before a licensing decision is made.

RED - %CDT = 3% or more

A CDT level greater than 3% is considered to be indicative of alcohol consumption in a dependent manner. A person whose CDT levels fall within this range is identified as someone who is dependent on alcohol and a driving licence will be refused.

The %CDT cut off levels were up to date at the time of publishing although the medical advisory panel may review and change the cut off levels at any time.

DVLA Medical Examination Results

If there is evidence of persistent alcohol misuse within the past 6 months or alcohol dependency within the past 12 months or there is evidence of current ongoing alcohol misuse or dependency then a high risk offenders application for a driving licence will be refused.

Driving licence refusal due to alcohol dependence or misuse

If the driving licence application is refused then the high risk offender will be informed what they must do and any relevant time period before a driving licence may be issued.

If the refusal was due to alcohol misuse then a minimum period of six months controlled drinking or abstinence must be attained alongside normalisation of blood parameters.

If the refusal was due to alcohol dependence then a one year period free of alcohol problems must be attained and abstinence will normally be required alongside normalisation of blood parameters if relevant.

Driving licence restoration after refusal

If a driving licence has been refused due to alcohol dependence or misuse then satisfactory medical reports from the high risk offenders own doctor(s) will usually be required and another DVLA medical will usually have to be undertaken.

[LAJ123]

Hi,

Kate has given you all the information you need to know about the DVLA medical testing for regaining a driving license.

Only thing I can add is that the CDT test makes the test proof against anyone thinking they can fool the test by abstaining for a short period of maybe three weeks and thinking they will 'pass.'

Whatever your reason for asking, I hope all goes well for you.

Jim

[scampi2122]

Whilst Katie has given the DVLA guidelines, but the DVLA can and do whatever they like. I did their blood test in April, I had not touched alcohol for 12 months, they did not reveal the results of the tests to me, my GP or consultant. They did not contact my GP but contacted my consultant who struggled to reply to the questions asked, given he was not aware of the blood tests. They eventually gave me my licence back at the end of June, but only for one year. It seems to me they don't trust their own blood test, otherwise, they would have returned my license earlier.