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.

What about if a person had a childhood diagnosis, but have no proof of this, and don't see any specialists?

Rubusfructicosus if a childhood diagnosis was made, then wouldn't that be in the individual's medical records?

Do they keep records that long?

But just because you tell the DVLA about having a form of autism doesn't mean you will be banned from driving.

They will write to your GP or specialist (if you have one) and ask if there is any cause for concern about your driving. If there isn't, there there will be no problem with you driving.

I can quite see though,that this creates a level of new bureaucracy, without a clear reason why it is needed.

I believe that medical records are kept for life and actually until 10 years after death - but if anyone knows better, I'm happy to stand corrected.

Do you think there is much of a chance of us losing our licenses? I’m quite worried about the prospect of that!

I've signed the change.org petition. But does there need to be an official one on the government site? One they have to respond to when if it gets to 10k signatures?

*But just because you tell the DVLA about having a form of autism doesn't mean you will be banned from driving.

They will write to your GP or specialist (if you have one) and ask if there is any cause for concern about your driving. If there isn't, there there will be no problem with you driving.*

But everyone with autism who have passed their driving test was autistic when they took the test, whether they were diagnosed at that point or not.

And there must be hundreds (even thousands?) of undiagnosed safe drivers with autism.

Just doesn't make sense.

@ineedaknittedhat your GP won't sign you fit to drive. I'm a GP, we're not trained or insured to make that decision. They'll fill in a DVLA form (if you have one) then it's the DVLA who use that info to make the decision on fitness to drive.

Apparently it has bee notifiable condition for years but the website was wrong until recently?

The DVLA said: “There have been no changes to autism spectrum disorder being a notifiable condition – this has been the case for a number of years. We have recently aligned the advice on our A–Z guide for the public with the advice for medical professionals.

How does autism affect driving? I know that things like dyspraxia can be problematic but surely if you managed to pass the test you are fine.

Does that mean that when DS discussed it with his GP, their advice was wrong too?

I've just had an argument with dh who says I must keep calm when I see the GP otherwise they might consider me unfit to drive. He says I have to try harder when I speak to people.

I have left the house and driven to the coffee shop IN MY CAR and am eating cake, so fuck you dvla 😡😡

Clear as mud

I interpret this to mean that for a car licence you only have to inform them if it affects your driving and I would be prepared (on behalf of my dd) to challenge it in court. The need to remove the third paragrph (as they have for ADHD) if it is notifiable regardless.

"You must tell DVLA if you have an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).

You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving. You may be prosecuted if you’re involved in an accident as a result.

Car or motorcycle licence

You must tell DVLA if your condition will affect your driving. Fill in form M1 and send it to DVLA. The address is on the form."

I'm sorry others are affected by this. I'm not ignoring the replies. I'm grateful for people who understand

Surely by the logic they are applying, a diagnosis makes no difference at all? If, as they seem to be suggesting, being autistic could affect a persons ability to drive, as it is a lifelong disorder, then this would apply regardless of whether the person has a diagnosis of ASD or not.

It seems that they are only stipulating that you have to report it if you have a diagnosis because it wouldn't be reasonable to expect someone without one to know. But the fact remains that it either affects them or it doesn't. It's only a short leap from requiring people with a diagnosis to prove they're competent drivers to penalising people after the fact if they should have an accident and subsequently discover that they had ASD. They could easily just assess people's driving ability and then declare that person competent to drive on the road or not. Oh wait... That would be what the driving test is for though wouldn't it?

If you're affected sufficiently that your driving is unsafe you couldn't pass the test. Easy as. If you are able to do that you're able to drive.

My 19 year old has ASD and passed his test at 16. I have never known a better or more competent driver. His mobility lease us up in May so I better hold off ordering the new car until I have notified the DVLA. He will be gutted if he loses his only form of freedom :(

I have signed too, and will be writing to my MP this afternoon. Fuckers.

Personally @GregoryPeckingDuck I think
my autism improves my driving as I hyper focus and I'm not easily distracted. I see things out of the corner of my eye, I'm aware of lots of things happening and it has enabled me to drive defensively in the past and avoid accidents caused by others' mistakes. I'm a bit of a stickler for road rules yes but I just swear under my breath....

Nobody knows how to classify us!

What exactly are we?

Animal
Vegetable
Mineral.....

Is there intelligent life in there?

We don't fit inside their stupid boxes which reduce people to inferior beings who aren't capable of doing normal stuff.

How supremely arrogant.

I classify myself as fucking epic, personally

Cross post with Comefromaway.

*"You must tell DVLA if you have an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).

You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving. You may be prosecuted if you’re involved in an accident as a result.

Car or motorcycle licence

You must tell DVLA if your condition will affect your driving. Fill in form M1 and send it to DVLA. The address is on the form."*

This states that you have to report it and doesn't stipulate only if diagnosed. So everyone without a diagnosis is somehow expected to know anyway and report it. Even if you don't know if it will affect your driving because how could you possibly compare it to a NT person? That's like suggesting people report themselves for being colour blind. You can never know for sure if you and the next person are seeing the same colour red (or amber or green) so how could somebody quantify how they are affected by a condition?

@herecomesthsun Under the Equality Act, people don't have to declare an invisible disability to their employer. Many choose not to due to the stigma declaration brings.

With this DVLA legislation, if you have a company car, or drive for a living, you will legally have to tell your employer for insurance purposes, which directly contravenes the Equality Act.

The decision has also (seemingly) not been based in science and, unlike most other conditions listed, it doesn't cause physical disability and/or isn't something that develops or you "catch". Therefore, autistic people and those with ADHD (or both) passed their driving test with those neurodivergencies, therefore they've already proven their competency.

Bold fail re the quoted text. Apologies

@HugAndRoll wondering if you could possibly send me a twitter link by pm so I can share with some nd friends?