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.

My friend was concerned about her snoring so went to GP he pointed out that if she was tested she was risking losing her licence. She shut up and still snores. It is frightening. Yet folk can still drive whilst on certain prescribed drugs that definitely affect their driving.

I have applied for a provisional for my ASD 17 year old 6 months ago its still with their medical department to decide!!

Email fired off to MP.

I'm really hoping for an abrupt U-turn from the government. I don't see how they can justify it.

Another worrying thing is that if they say no then that's it forever really as it's not a changeable condition. Unlike say epilepsy which can be controlled by medication allowing someone to resume driving.

Just checked the exhaustive list you have to inform them if you suffer from vertigo!! well I do not need a tall ladder to get into my car, does that excuse me?

Someone sat down I suspect and listed whatever anyone in the office could think up.

www.gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving

What. The Actual. Fuck?

My first thought was that it must be a typo: someone lost the end of a sentence by accident. But no, apparently the DVLA have now attempted to defend this – by saying nothing's changed and anyway it doesn't matter.

I... just can't even.

OK, having found my jaw where it was dangling on the floor...

At a practical level, it really matters which way the default runs: whether people who have passed their test will be assumed competent unless there's actual evidence otherwise from the GP. Or whether the default will be that people with autism will be assumed unable to drive unless a GP can convince them otherwise.

I've just had trouble buying a fucking train ticket because despite the wheelchair, blue badge, etc, the call centre clerk asked whether I had a doctor's letter justifying my use of a wheelchair space. I don't see DVLA clerks being any different.

If it's the default that they are assumed unable to drive, they won't be able to get a provisional licence and try, which is extremely worrying.

The point being the clerk didn't want to take responsibility himself for selling me the wheelchair space (my wheelchair folds).

He wanted to be told it was OK by someone else. Anyone else. He started asking his colleague sitting next to him at one point...

Disgraceful. The previous requirement to disclose autism if it affects your driving ability was perfectly acceptable. But it’s not acceptable to expect people to disclose it when it doesn’t affect their driving ability. Has the DVLA explained why they need to know about if if it doesn’t affect your driving?

tootiredtospeak Eek! I came across this the other day and have made a note for "when the time comes" as I have a 16 yr old starting to think about when she can learn to drive. I have NOT mentioned it to my husband as he was worried enough about "giving her a label" when she was assessed a couple of years back, as it was. He is going to be cross I think!

But if it is delaying things big time then I might need to encourage my daughter to apply for her licence sooner rather than later. The DVLA have dropped the ball big time on this one - I doubt they have any idea just how much unnecessary paperwork they will have generated by a "simple clarification" (if that is all they claim to have done??!)

It's fucking outrageous. Have signed the open letter and shared it on social media as well.

DS is going through the assessment process at the moment, DBro has Aspergers. As if it isn't hard enough, here's another bloody bureaucratic barrier thrown up in front of them and people like them. It makes me so angry

It’s probably so they can ‘share’ the info with PIP department who can them say
‘Oh you can drive and you (for example) have 6 GCSEs therefore you are fine and not eligible for PIP’

Also why not just add something into the driving test to accommodate the ‘need’ to see if a driver is affected by autism

I’d say that the ASD members of my family are good because of their ASD. They are obsessed with the details of their car insurance policies and one of them is obsessed with correct tyre pressures.

Another one is fascinated by safe stopping distances. Get them off the road, I say. So dangerous.

This is also going to make a lot of extra work for doctors who are going to have to fill in thousands of forms.

I have a condition that requires DVLA notification. It's a massive pain. My licence has to be reissued every 3-5 years and there is always a delay in getting my specialist to respond which causes huge stress as I need my car for work.

I have just signed the petition.
My DD is 12 and has ASD. She is fit, healthy, very well coordinated, manually dexterous, and very very risk averse. I have no doubt she’ll be an excellent driver in time.

This new rule is disgusting, disablist, and unnecessary. It’s clearly been devised by some clueless idiot who has no clue what autism even is. It’s not a mental health condition, FFS.

This is outrageous, my DD has ASD and I think when the time comes she will be a great driver, her attention to detail and focus are superb.

I think all the people who drink / take drugs / use their phones whilst driving should have to declare themselves to the DVLA as well.

I’m another person who has considered seeking an autism diagnosis. Hearing this makes that less likely

Here's a working link to the Change.org petition:

www.change.org/p/driver-and-vehicle-licensing-agency-remove-neurodevelopmental-conditions-from-the-list-of-dvlacompulsory-notifiable-conditions

Neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism and ADHD are present from birth. Both conditions are very wide spectrums with a broad range of manifestations.

Within the spectrum of these conditions there are manifestations that can make driving challenging. However these manifestations are present at the time of learning to drive, meaning it is difficult to pass your hour driving test if your neurodevelopmental condition affects your driving.

Likewise both conditions have a manifestation called 'hyperfocus'. This is the ability to focus intensely on an activity of interest, over a sustained period of time, to the exclusion of all else. Many people with ADHD and Autism manage to hyperfocusus on driving, making them very safe drivers.

Some people with Autism and ADHD my find that their ability to drive safely varies. However unlike conditions such as angina or syncope, the triggers that affect their ability to drive are predictable and can be planned around. People with Autism and ADHD can plan to avoid these triggers and can pay attention to early warning signs and adapt their plans accordingly. This sort of self regulation is similar to that carried out by people living with migraine, which we note does not even feature on the list of notifiable conditions.

The neurodiverse community is concerned at being singled out for compulsory notification when other more unpredictable and dangerous conditions such as syncope and angina have not been. To be singled out in this way, without any evidence that we are collectively less safe than other road users, is an act of disability discrimination.

In the interest of equality, we request that ADHD and Autism be made notifiable only if there is evidence they are affecting someone's driving.

I think elderly people are potentially a danger tbh and should have regular tests after a certain age. Having autism is completely different.

cleaningadvice I am sure you mean to be helpful but again, categorising an entire group of drivers as "the elderly" is so discriminatory. The highest risk group is still drivers aged 16-24.

I know someone with a commercial pilots licence who has ASD, not sure where he would stand

My DS1, diagnosed at 2 and in special needs schools throughout his education passed his test first time a couple of years ago (in an automatic). It gives so much freedom and self esteem, not sure how I’m going to tell him he needs to tell DVLA about his ASD. We, his family, are going to suffer all the anxieties etc that it’s going to cause him.

BTW, he is a good driver.

Bloody disgusting. I wonder if they will use it in the long term to affect insurance?

I wouldn't be surprised if there's something to do with money behind it.