DVLA gave DS a 1 year licence

[user400]

Hi all,

So DS turned 17 at the start of April this year and he applied for his provisional in February. DS has Asperger’s, short sightedness and takes medication (Prozac) but he has not taken it in a few months as he doesn’t need it but his GP doesn’t know this. (He wears glasses for his short sightedness and can drive with them)

He declared all those 3 things on his provisional application form and a few weeks later he was sent a form from the DVLA (something about pschyological conditions) and he had to get his GP to fill that out and return it to the DVLA on his behalf.

So all that was done and his provisional arrived late March just before his 17th birthday.

His provisional was due to expire on 25 March 2019, we thought this was normal as I always thought that provisional licenses lasted one year but we only caught on yesterday that they do in fact last 10 years just like the full licences! So this was never questioned until now!

He passed his driving test last week, his full licence arrived in the post yesterday. The expiry date from the provisional carried over, meaning he will have to renew his driving licence in 3 months! Wtf??

DS said to me That he thought licences lasted 10 years so that’s when it became clear that the DVLA have put him on a short time licence, without even telling him! He has been on a short term provisional as well and we never caught on until now.

All I need to ask is, why have the DVLA put him on a short term licence because of his Asperger’s? It’s obvious they have as that’s what the medical form was about when they sent it when he applied for his provisional.

His Asperger’s doesn’t affect his driving so I can’t understand this. Either the DVLA are being silly or the GP has written something on the letter to make it sound worse than what it is, I will need a copy of this letter to see exactly what was written.

Do you think We can change this and get a new 10 year licence sent to him? I have rheumatoid arthritis in my feet and I told DVLA and they never gave me a short term licence for that, a condition that is more likely to cause problems driving than Asperger’s!

I didn't realise you were talking about a provisional licence, rather than a full license. I think the same principles will apply, though, except for the duration. When I renew my full licence, there is no charge for the renewal, as it's a medical restriction.

They usually only issue the 1 year ones on the back of what ever the GP puts in the report it’s not an automatic thing or anything.
You should also get sent a letter 90 days before it’s due to expire.

My son got a short one initially then got a normal one when he renewed it.

Out of interest How on Earth is someone meant to know if it’s likly to impact driving BEFORE they have driven a car what with you not being allowed to before you have a provisional regardless of if your the driver or their doctor. As the driver all you can do is make an educated guess which if you mess up on and don’t bother declaring if you have an accident where it may have been a contributing factor then it’s not going to be much fun trying to sort it out.
More sensible to just report really.

Something similar happened to my eldest son. He has Asperger syndrome and mental health issues. He declared his mental health issues on his application for a provisional licence and had to obtain a letter from the doctor to confirm that he was fit to drive. He was granted a provisional licence for one year. After the year, he obtained another note from his doctor and now has a provisional licence that does not have the time limitation.

AS did not affect my son's ability to drive, but his mental illness was something he really did need to declare and the knowledge that he doctor felt he was safe to drive, prevented his anxiety from escalating during or prior to lessons. His doctor could also confirm that the medication he was prescribed would not adversely affect his reactions.

He is about to take his theory test in a couple of days and should have no problems with this or his practical test.

Please don't worry. Your son has been honest and sensible.

Dd’s camhs consultant had completed the form for a number of patients over the years and had no concerns over dd learning to drive. I guess she knew exactly what DVLA needed to hear and maybe your GP didn’t confirm clearly enough that there were no concerns over driving? Perhaps a letter from the camhs consultant dealing with medication would help?

Its likely to be his eyes. Im on a 3yr license. Its realpy easy tho - they send the forms to you..you declare nothing has changed and they just send your new one in 10 days.

I stupidly reacted to a post on MN where someone stated if you didn't declare an existing condition then they could be liable for a huge fine

The Germans have a word for it: "vorauseilender Gehorsam" or "preemptive obedience".

The DVLA have a page to renew a medically affected riving licence, listing the conditions that apply. Worth checking, maybe.

www.gov.uk/renew-medical-driving-licence

Hi, sorry I haven’t been on in quite a while.

Just to update you all, DS rang the DVLA last Monday and they told him that the reasoning behind the 1 year licence was likely to be his medication.

He has got his GP to write a letter to the DVLA to explain that he is off his medication and he is also getting his camhs consultant to write a letter too, he has requested her to call him someday this week although I don’t think they’ll be too pleased when they find out he’s been off the tablets for months and he never said a thing.

I hope after DVLA receive these two letters that they will then issue DS with a new 10 year licence

I don't see why being on an antidepressant should be an issue tbh. I feel a problem was declared where none existed & the GP responded in an arse covering way. It is more likely to be an issue that he is choosing to no longer take mood altering meds without informing CAMHS or GP. My DD, who also has ASD, is on anti-depressants for anxiety (would not have even considered driving without them) She got her provisional license no trouble as she feels entirely capable of learning now. I feel you need someone other than the original GP who responded to the DVLA before to back you up on this. Good luck.

Hi again,

So DS collected the letter from his GP last week and posted it to DVLA. He rang them on Thursday and they said they had received the letter and to ring back in 2 weeks.

On Friday morning, DS posted a letter he had written himself to DVLA. He basically just stated that he no longer takes the meds and that he would like them to issue him with a new licence

Be interesting to see how they respond.