Appealing DVLA revoking my licence after strokes

[Stevecj]

Hi newbie here, I had two strokes this year in March and again April, one a clot one a bleed, unfortunate, hey ho! I informed DVLA as I'm supposed to do, I thought they would refer me to a driving assessment center as I have left sided weakness. Then yesterday I received a letter off them titled IMPORTANT YOU MUST NOT DRIVE. Further reading informed me that I have clinically apparent visual inattention also known hemi spatial neglect, and due to this, they are revoking my licence from today! Before their decision I had informed them that I had an eye test with vision express after my second stroke and passed their spot test (spacial awareness)

But I haven't had or ever had the above condition, where do I go now? Has anyone successfully had their case reviewed or does it have to go to appeal and the courts etc Does anyone know of a good (cheap) legal bod if it goes that far, thanks in advance kindest regards, Steve

[sandybrown]

Please take a look at the information in this link:

stroke4carers.org/?p=456

stroke.org.uk/sites/default...

All I did was to Google "driving after a stroke dvla"

good luck.

[moo196]

I'm not sure how to go about this I'm afraid. What does your hospital consultant say? That would be my first suggestion.

I wasn't allowed to drive for 6 months.

You are probably entitled to a bus pass in the meantime.

Good luck

[Stevecj in reply to moo196]

Thanks for replies, just had my bus pass, haven't caught a bus in 30 years! My wife contacted the consultant concerned, he admitted there was a clerical error on his part, he is contacting DVLA to see if he can persuade them to reverse their decision! Watch this space, thanks guys and gals, Steve

[Tiger800]

Hi there. Not sure how much help I can offer, but just thought I would share my experience in case it helped. Like you, I informed the DVLA like I was supposed to and as I had visual problems after my stroke (13 years ago) I guess this really was the only thing I could do. I had a significant blind spot post stroke and after my license was revoked, for a while I thought this is it, I am never going to drive (or ride my motorbike) again. My GP was really helpful and with her help and a bit of web based research I found out that after a certain period (I don't recall how long) I could appeal and go for a driving assessment. The process took a while but as time went by my eyesight did improve (though I will always have a blindspot) and I was assessed for my safety and ability to drive post stroke at a really helpful place in Sutton, Surrey called Queen Elisabeth Foundation ( qef.org.uk/our-services/qef... ). They were great and really supportive but it was a bit strange taking a driving test at 37, nearly 20 years after my first test! Long story short, they considered me safe to drive and the DVLA reinstated my licence. I have now been driving for about 10 years post stroke so jsuted wanted to share this and say don't give up and don't assume that you can't get your licence back. Good luck!

[Tiger800]

Hi there. Not sure how much help I can offer, but just thought I would share my experience in case it helped. Like you, I informed the DVLA like I was supposed to and as I had visual problems after my stroke (13 years ago) I guess this really was the only thing I could do. I had a significant blind spot post stroke and after my license was revoked, for a while I thought this is it, I am never going to drive (or ride my motorbike) again. My GP was really helpful and with her help and a bit of web based research I found out that after a certain period (I don't recall how long) I could appeal and go for a driving assessment. The process took a while but as time went by my eyesight did improve (though I will always have a blindspot) and I was assessed for my safety and ability to drive post stroke at a really helpful place in Sutton, Surrey called Queen Elisabeth Foundation ( qef.org.uk/our-services/qef... ). They were great and really supportive but it was a bit strange taking a driving test at 37, nearly 20 years after my first test! Long story short, they considered me safe to drive and the DVLA reinstated my licence. I have now been driving for about 10 years post stroke so jsuted wanted to share this and say don't give up and don't assume that you can't get your licence back. Good luck!

[john-boy-92]

I assume that your licemce was for group 1 (car or motor cycle). in general you cannot be relicensed until 12 months from the date that your licence was revoked, but you can reapply eight weeks beforehand to be assessed as an exceptional case. If you are accepted as an exceptional case and you haven't driven for many months, the DVLA should provide you with a provisional disability assessment licence (PDAL) for up to three months so that you can take refressher lessons with an ADI in a dual-control car. You can then take a cognitive and driving assessment at a Disability Assessment Centre (DAC). That's the theory. In practice the DVLA Medical Group won't tell you about the availability of the period for refresher lessons - even though this was confirmed in a Parliamentary Question - and will only issue a PDAL for the assessment at the DAC. The DACs have insufficient assessors so you will have to wait months for an appointment. The cognitive assessment may require amongst other things, listening for key words in an audio stream whilst completing a time-limited puzzle. Although the driving assessment is meant to account for the usual faults in a long-time driver, in my case it didn't. I am not an advanced driver but the driving assessor said; "advanced driver John would have glanced right on the give way and kept going". The assessment form had a number of errors including that I had apparently driven the complete assessment off-road, whereas it was all on public roads. If you read the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's October 2016 report titled "Driven To Distraction", it will show you what you will encounter. From my experience things have not changed in the DVLA Medical Group.

You might think that when your licence was revoked, it was because it had been reviewed by a an opthalmically trained person. In reality the applications and the Esterman chart are judged by an administrative grade working to written instructions. You and I are part of the 8,000 to 9,000 group 1 drivers whose licence is revoked every year due to eyesight. In my case it was because I have less that 120 degress horizontal field of vision that was implimented because of an EU Directive. My vision with glasses is excellent at 6/5 but that doesn't count.