Autism and driving - new dvla rules

[ineedaknittedhat]

www.theguardian.com/society/2019/mar/03/autistic-people-angry-at-having-to-disclose-diagnosis-to-dvla-even-if-driving-not-affected

The rules used to say that you had to inform them if your driving was affected, now you have to disclose it regardless.

You have to seek permission from your GP or specialist (hollow laugh) in order to continue driving, and complete a form sent to you by the dvla.

They class asd as a mental health condition (it's not).

Aspergers is included in this classification.

Just thought fellow autistics should be aware as you get fined £1000 for not informing them.

That's appalling.

I know. I'm officially a second class citizen now, merely for being wired differently. I'm a nurse. I've helped save peoples lives, but yet I'm regarded as little more than a child or an incompetent by the dvla.

Wtf

How can his be contested?

It's bad enough not being able to access healthcare, education, the workplace or the community in general. If I can't drive, my life wouldn't be worth living.

Wtf! While at the same time adults with ASD where it does adversely affect many things in their daily life have to fight and fight for PIP.

I won't bother learning to drive, I guess... sounds horribly complicated.

According to the article, an MP is objecting on human rights grounds. I can't remember her name, sorry.

I'm genuinely upset over this and it takes a lot to upset me these days, I'm pretty tough.

The article says its Jess Phillips who is complaining about this change (shes actually my MP!) - I may write to her supporting her protest, there's no way Autism should fall under the banner of "notifiable mental health disorder".

I've not had so much as a bump in my entire driving history of 25 years now. I never take risks or drink and drive. I keep to the speed limit and drive defensively at all times. I'm polite and let other motorists out when it's safe to do so.

The only way my driving would be affected is if someone puts a car air freshener into my vehicle or puts radio 1 on really loudly.

She's not my MP, but am I allowed to write to her to object?

I'd say write to her in support of her stance and state that as an autistic adult you feel demeaned by this policy... if you DM me the name I will do the same.

Extract from NAS campaign, if you want to add your name you need to do so before 13 March:

‘Getting the right support for mental health issues is absolutely vital for autistic people. Autism is not a mental health problem. Yet autism is defined as a ‘mental disorder’ under the Mental Health Act.

This must change.

The National Autistic Society, along with Mencap and the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, has written an open letter to Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health, asking him to Change the definition. Change the destination. We need your signature too.

Change the definition. Change the destination.

Add your name to our open letter > ( nas-email.org.uk/YA3-657U4-OM9H9R-3HTGR2-0/c.aspx )

Her name is Jess Phillips. I'll email her today.

I have a GP appointment this afternoon to convince them I'm okay to drive, then fill a form out when it arrives.

This is so demeaning.

It's ridiculous. I've been driving 20 years. I'm not diagnosed. I've been thinking of asking for a referral to get a diagnosis. (Just have to psych myself up to talking to people!) But maybe not now. Maybe it's part of a government plan to stop adults using the NHS for adult diagnosis?

Thank you for the letter link. I have signed it. I'll get dh to sign it too.

I'm worried that, in the event of hospitalisation, I'm not deemed to have capacity and that they might force treatment on me, but that's another issue.

Yup. I also have ADHD, so that's a double whammy for me. I completed my M1 this morning; I feel like adding that I've been driving for over 15 years with no points and no accidents (which were my fault, I mean, neurotypical people have driven into me a couple of times), and was autistic with ADHD when I passed my driving test!

They contact your GP themselves, @ineedaknittedhat and any specialists you have. One of the questions is "have you been referred to any mental health clinics in the past 12 months" (paraphrased) so I've had to tell the bloody DVLA I have emetophobia now, as I've been referred for talking therapy. It's a fucking farce!

I agree with you OP it is outrageous!

Do you need to discuss it with your GP? Don't you 'just' (I say 'just' but don't mean it) fill the form in yourself?

I think it's a case of trying to limit our freedoms so we're reduced to living the type of situations that occurred in the old mental hospitals.

Paranoid? Maybe, but stranger things have happened. We're already hounded out of most places, it wouldn't be too far a step to start legally limiting our human rights by insisting upon a false interpretation of what we are.

Alison where is your evidence-based research to back up your ludicrous claim? Just because your ex was a bad driver it doesn't mean autistic people are. If we're playing the wildly unevidenced claim game, the only people I know with points on their licence, or who have been at fault in car accidents are neurotypical. Therefore, neurotypical people shouldn't be allowed to drive, or they should at least have to declare that they're unable to hyperfocus on the task at hand, and aren't very good at following rules.

Wouldn’t a driving test be expected to catch ‘terrible driving’, though?

Precisely, Biscuit. Ableist sweeping statement are horrific.

No, the bloke on the phone this morning said I had to contact my GP or specialist to ascertain that I'm okay to continue driving.

The form will follow in the post.

Alison100199 my friend is a terrible driver, a complete liability on the road but she isn't autistic - how do you propose the DVLA deal with her?

Autism is not a mental health issue and there are plenty of people with autism who are very careful and competent drivers, like the rest of the population.

Please could you show the research that you think the DVLA may have used? It would be helpful to know what they have based their decision on.