Hello, I'm new and this is 1st post - Revoked Driving Licence

[cyclinghu]

Hello - I wonder if anybody could give me any advice on this.

I had my driving licence revoked for 6 months following a small head injury sustained on 27th Feb 2021. The DVLA will accept a completed D1 application form to renew my licence 8 weeks before the 6 months period has ended. If I send in the appropriate medical questionnaire with my application it will speed up the enquiry process. However the DVLA do not specify which questionnaire is relevant. If anyone has similar experience of re-applying for a driving licence after recovering from a head injury can you please let me know which form (form number would be great). Any helpful feedback would be much appreciated.

DVLA are very very slow to reply to any communication and it seems impossible to speak to anybody on the phone.

I am so grateful to have found this website and I read stuff all the time - I am so thankful to everybody who posts on here as it is really helpful.

Since tbi my main problems are poor mood and feeling hopeless - the loss of my driving licence has made this seem impossible - live in a very rural area - 1 mile and 340' climb from nearest shop.

[Painting-girl]

Hi CH

Welcome to the forum.

I think I used this one - or have you already sent this in?

gov.uk/brain-injury-and-dri...

Remember even if they sanction you driving again, you are still personally responsible for refraining from driving if you are fatigued, for example.

Are you getting any help from anyone with managing your mood? It's very common to have clinical depression after a TBI, because they cause a disturbance in the white matter - in the same way as depression does - so basic antidepressants and talking therapy do help, and are well worth it.

Can you tell us what happened to you?

[cyclinghu in reply to Painting-girl]

Hello, thank you very much for your reply - I am hoping to get some help as I have been diagnosed with complex PTSD which started when I went to boarding school at 7.5 and suffered a lot of abuse, both emotional and sexual which continued until I was 13. Getting any type of mental help seems nearly impossible at the moment unless you can afford to get a private therapist! I arrived at this point after a prolonged water fast - I collapsed in the bathroom and smashed my head up. Losing my licence is causing me so many problems including not being able to travel to visit children and grandchildren 😢

[Painting-girl in reply to cyclinghu]

Oh dear, it sounds like you had enough to cope with, without a TBI on top. Not driving if you're isolated must be very hard.

[RogerCMerriman]

It’s been many years since well my wife filled in the form, as I had to surrender my license for 6 months.

Probably do need to give the DVLA a ring even if it means spending a hr or so. As they have their ways!

[cyclinghu in reply to RogerCMerriman]

Thank you for your reply - Dvla have always been difficult to communicate with and of course with this pandemic it is virtually impossible. I hear you like to cycle 🚴‍♂️👍 - me too - my doctor seems very pleased that I am back cycling now but was very keen that I notified the dvla about injury - most of my cycling is on the road - so it seems he thinks it's fine just to kill myself....It is just 2 years ago that I did Lands End to JOG with Deloitte - 980m in 9 days. Such a contrast to where my life is today😢. Hope I can get licence back and some more of my brain back. Please take care and regards 🚴‍♂️👍

[Kavib]

This is quite normal for it to stop for 6 months. You should get it back then but they may need to assess you first. X

[cyclinghu in reply to Kavib]

thank you - did you send in a completed medical form? Take care

[moo196]

Morning, I'm wondering if you might call headway for the form advice.Tbh dvla are slow at the best of times, so don't expect it to be much better now. My correct forms were in 6 weeks before my 6m deadline. It still took 8 months to complete the reinstating of my licence.

Can you get a bus pass in the meantime? (in my case I did, although one bus every 2 hours wasn't much help)

[cyclinghu in reply to moo196]

Thank you so much for your reply - was that 8 months on top of the time your licence was revoked for?I live about a mile outside a small town in Cornwall - there are no buses - there is, however, a railway station with very irregular local services - wonder if I can get a rail pass?

Take care and I wish you well

[moo196 in reply to cyclinghu]

No, it was included in the 6 months. Free Rail card is also a possible option - plus I see you are a cyclist

[lcd8]

Hi Cyclinghu. I've been in this position before too. I get recurrent hydrocephalus and have a Shunt. When it blocks I have to get it surgically changed - and each time I lose my licence for 6 months. D1 is the form I've always filled in at the end of this time. But it does take them a while to process which can be frustrating. I would definitely recommend submitting it a bit early.

[cyclinghu in reply to lcd8]

thanks very much for your reply - I will ensure I get it in early especially with this pandemic causing industrial action at dvla 😢Hope you are doing well

[sashaming1]

Welcome.

[cyclinghu in reply to sashaming1]

thank you and welcome back 👍🙂

[New_beginning]

Hello Cyclinghu, reading the above i hope info helps with current situation. Also wow back cycling, you sure are a determine person and have inner strength more than you realise.

[cyclinghu in reply to New_beginning]

thank you so much - I'm very lucky that I'm still able to cycle although it is currently a fraction of what I used to do - fatigue is the main problem.

[Kezza72]

My daughter had to surrender her driving licence for a year and started the process of trying to get her licence reinstated in February. Her years suspension was up in April but she is still waiting. She contacts them at least weekly but what with the pandemic and the industrial action things are taking longer. Sorry I can’t help with the form question or bring you any good news. We also live in a rural area, so my husband and I are having to take her to appointments, shops etc. My daughter’s brain injury was severe, she had two surgeries whilst in ICU (in the unit I have worked as a nurse for 17 years!) and seizures but she’s been so lucky and come out with no real major deficits. It is very likely that the DVLA will want her to undertake an assessment, so that will further delay things. Just keep ringing DVLA, persevere and you will get through to someone eventually. They are probably the best people to give you advice on the process. Good luck and I hope you are back on the road soon x

[cyclinghu in reply to Kezza72]

I really appreciate your reply and I wish your daughter all the best in her recovery - this is all so difficult but the fact that you took the time to write this post meant a lot to me. I hope your daughter manages to get her licence reinstated very soon - I will keep trying to get in contact with DVLA but must admit that I get sooooo stressed that they appear to make it difficult by not having staff on hand to help - they were bad before covid so this has just made it worse. Stress leads me to super fatigue and then I can't handle anything and so it goes on.... Take care and thank you

[Kezza72 in reply to cyclinghu]

My daughter is the same. She gets easily stressed, which effects her mental health and her neuro fatigue. I really hope you get sorted soon. I know how frustrating it is. X

[Julesstillhere]

Hello cycling, its Jules hereJust checked in before and noticed your email about driving.

Not sure if you need/want to know, but they took mine away for 6 months as well, then called me in for a driving assessment. When I eventually got mine back (I think it was nearly a year of waiting) they had deleted my entitlement to one of the sections (driving a different type of vehicle which was automatically on my previous one) I think the section was minibus or tractor or something. But I though it was unfair. They just said its not about my injury its just what happens to all licences that are either issued or surrendered and reinstated.

I felt it was just another thing being taken away from me since the accident.

I know what you are feeling when you talk about all the forms they are getting you to fill - I end up angry because I am embarrassed.

Hope you got it sorted anyway

Jules

[cyclinghu in reply to Julesstillhere]

I'm so sorry - I know that I am going to lose all the licenses I worked so hard to obtain - my HGV 1 and my PSV 1 - it does feel like a terrible loss and all part of dismantling one's life. I still cycle a lot now but feel very resentful against drivers who just treat you like a road user who is in the way - I had hoped to move to The Netherlands where cycling is a way of life but that seems incredibly difficult since we left the European Union.

[Julesstillhere in reply to cyclinghu]

Hi againNetherlands - my gut instinct is to say 'go for it' push and push until you get it. Sounds like it would ease your brain with issues surrounding entitlements being deleted.

I had never ever thought it possible other humans could just delete your personality. And how easily they do this. But, we have what is here and now and life is precious even if it does contain some insensitive people

Jules

x

[cyclinghu in reply to Julesstillhere]

Thank you Jules