You may recall that when I was first diagnosed, I had to inform the DVLA of my condition which of course I did. They immediately gave me a restricted 3-year licence,
Now that the 3 years are up, I have had to reapply for my driving licence, so you can imagine my shock and upset when a letter arrived saying I must NOT drive!
Fortunately, I was also seeing my Neurologist the same day that the letter arrived and despite the fact that the DVLA had said that they would be writing to him, he hadn’t had any communication at all from the DVLA.
Parkinsons and the DVLA
I have been without my driving licence for 3 weeks now and I don’t know when the case may be reviewed. OBVIOUSLY, I HAVE CHASED THEM BY PHONE AND EMAIL. On August the 23rd I sent the additional evidence i.e a letter from my Neurology Consultant Dr Carl Mann, addressed to my GP Dr Sarah Tyrrell stating that I am fit to drive.
Now, I would also like to inform you that I feel highly aggrieved at the decision to revoke my licence in the first place.
Having completed an application to renew my Group 1 car driving licence, the DVLA wrote to me saying that “ the DVLA Doctor is considering my fitness to drive and has decided to write to my Consultant Dr C. Mann for further information” at the address I supplied.
However, when I next met with my Consultant Dr Mann at Leighton Hospital on the 16th of August he had no knowledge of that.
HE HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED AT ALL. The letter from the DVLA which said that I must not drive arrived the same day so naturally this was an important topic of discussion and was the basis of his assessment.
Following this assessment, he was fully satisfied that my condition is such that I am able to meet the relevant standards for driving.
He acknowledged that the addition of Madopar 50mg /12.5mg to my medication regime has actually made a massive improvement to my well-being and ensures that my ability to drive safely is maintained at all times and that:
- I do not suffer from sleepiness either medication-induced or otherwise,
- I do not have freezing or “off” periods,
- I do not suffer hallucinations,
- I do not suffer from impulse control disorder,
- There is no cognitive impairment and
- I have sufficient muscle strength to control a vehicle safely and fully.
I, therefore believe that my condition is not likely to cause a sudden disabling event at the wheel, or cause me to be unable to control my vehicle safely for any other reason as Dr. Mann suggested, the DVLA’s decision was BASED on OUT OF DATE INFORMATION.
I am still waiting for the case to be reviewed…