The UK Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has published their consultation into changes to the driving licence laws for people with epilepsy.
These changes are part of introducing a European Union directive. This directive will make the laws about driving and epilepsy similar across the European Union.
The main changes proposed for the UK are:
- Currently people who have sleep-only seizures have to wait three years, while only having sleep only-seizures, before they can reapply for a driving licence. It is proposed that this will be reduced to one year.
- Currently people who have seizures that do not affect their consciousness or their actions have to be seizure-free for one year before they can apply for a driving licence. The new proposals will allow people who have this type of seizure to apply for a licence, provided they have only had this type of seizure for over one year.
- And currently if a person’s medication is changed, causing seizures, but the person returns to the old successful treatment, they have to wait one year before they can apply for a licence. The new proposals say this wait should be lowered to six-months seizure freedom.
Epilepsy Action will be responding to this consultation. But we know that driving is an important issue for many of our supporters, and you may want to send your own thoughts to the DVLA too. You can see the proposals and the impact assessment. http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/consultations.aspx
If you live in the UK and have any comments that you would like to send us, we are happy to receive them at pscott@epilepsy.org.uk. We will do our best to represent them in our response.
The consultation finishes on 28 April 2011.
Comments: read the 5 comments or add yours
Comments
this is great news! Anyone know when we may hear of the outcome?
Hi Mel,
We don't know when the outcome will be, but it is unlikely that any changes will happen until at least the end of 2011. Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages for any updates.
Pete
Epilepsy Action
I was just wondering if there has been any progress to implement the above proposal? I realise they needed more time to consider the evidence for epilepsy but have they managed to do this and will it be in time to be included in new regulations?
Hi,
Thanks for your comment.
Progress on this has been slow. At the time of writing (10 May 2012), the new regulations have still not become law.
The Department of Transport has responded to the comments it received it consultation. You can see what they had to say by clicking here - http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/SN00387.pdf
Unfortunately, it does not accept any of Epilepsy Action’s proposed amendments, and so the regulations will be as they originally proposed.
The document states: “The government is expected to lay amending regulations to bring these changes into force in 2012.” We are still awaiting this. When they come into force, we will update the website and our Driving information pages.
Thanks again, Pete.
My wife has had two fits,one twenty months ago and another two weeks ago,both occurred two weeks after having taken amitriptyline she was taken of amitriptyline because it was thought that that contributed to her fit ,another GP inadvertently but her back on amitriptyline and she fitted again within two weeks,will the new medication six month rule apply to her