First ever seizure and the DVLA

[TinasCrockeryPot]

I had my first ever seizure today and have been advised by my doctor that I need to inform the DVLA about this. Looking in the epilepsy advice page it states you can do this by either submitting a voluntary surrender of your licence for medical reasons form and send your licence off with it. Or you can send an fep1 form and wait for the dvla to let you know that they are revoking your licence. I’m unsure which one to send or whether to just send both together along with the licence as by sending the fep1 for the dvla will tell you what medical states you need to meet before you can reapply for your licence back. Has anyone been in a similar situation that can advise?
thanks in advance

I think DH must have completed a form as he still has his revoked licence - which has proved to be handy as it is still accepted as a form of ID. For example when the idiot lost his passport in the airport.

It's also helpful to have the letter from the DVLA saying your licence has been revoked for medical reasons as that's what he has used to get his free bus pass and disabled railcard.

I would say if your seizure has been recorded by a doctor I would just surrender it and get it in the system. DVLA medical department are incredibly slow.
The other option is to ring them, I know DH has found them helpful. He had a singular seizure and had to surrender his license for a year, unfortunately the end coincided with Covid so the whole getting his license back took forever (but he was shielding so didn’t matter that much).
Have you got somewhere you can keep your car? DH kept his at work and a colleague drove it every few weeks to keep it going.

My DH is going to use the car every few days and get the insurance transferred to his name for the foreseeable so my car doesn’t get ruined by not being used. We don’t really have a need for two cars while I can’t drive as the car was used purely to get me to work but if this is just a one off situation (which I’m hoping it is) I can’t be bothered with the faff of getting another car at the end of it

Sorry you are dealing with this OP.

Just to echo another poster, DVLA is positively glacial in dealing with things so do keep tabs on dates (I'm highly impressed by pp who managed to get through on the phone, I tried multiple times, was on hold for an hour and then cut off).

Best of luck.

I surrendered my licence and sold my car. Dh has his own car anyway! Am waiting for my disabled bus pass to be approved.

If I phone the DVLA I settle in for a long Mumsnet session while the phone is on hold.

DH found the medical department glacial as well.

I had one seizure about 9 years ago, aged 35, I surrendered mine and was able to drive again after a year as the risk of a repeat seizure was deemed to be low. DVLA are frustratingly slow though.

The dvla medical dept is indeed glacial and not always too accurate in its statements. If you are sending them anything by post I would strongly recommend paying extra for a signed for service. You will then at least know exactly when the dvla receives the documents and there is no room for ambiguity

Top tip- get your MP involved if they are unreasonably slow. Got my licence through the door 48 hours later.

Snap! So shocking that this seems to be the only way to get things done in a reasonable timescale

Adding to the poor experience with DVLA, they’ve taken 5 months to write to tell me they’ve written to my neurologist about my fitness to drive.

Definitely surrender your license OP. As others have said you will be able to get free public transport. After applying in July, I have just been approved for an access to work grant too. That’s from DWP.

It’s hard not being able to drive, a big loss of independence. Best of luck

hope you're ok OP. What a shitty day you've had. I remember mine very well :( lots of rest for the shock!

DVLA didn't want me driving for a year and then a few days before the 12 months were up I had another seizure. So that was another year. And so on and so on.

I get about one seizure a year! I didn't know I could get a free bus pass!! Im going to look that up!

I’m also signed off work now as when I fell I fell from standing height onto my back and I’ve done god knows what damage to my back but moving HURTS just to top it all off. Epilepsy runs in my family so I’m very worried that this is it for me but I’m trying not to focus on it too much.

do be aware that when the DVLA send your letter back revoking your licence - take that to your local council offices or look on their website as you should qualify for a free bus pass.

I understand that its not going to make up for the loss of driving, but it will give you free bus use

just an aside - take a photograph of your driving licence - both sides before sending it off

in a previous job I had a gentleman who had a letter from DVLS as they had lost his driving licence and there was nothing they could do - so it was take another test or try and find a photocopy - fortunalty he had opened a bank account and used his licence as ID