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AIBU?

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Original poster

Should I report my colleague for this?

272 replies

ZZTopp · 22/12/2022 13:55

My colleague had some kind of seizure about a month ago. She lost consciousness whilst out walking. She was upset and confused when she regained consciousness and was taken to A & E.

She spent a few days in hospital having tests, luckily everything appeared normal. She was told at the hospital she cannot drive for the foreseeable future.

She has been getting a lift to and from work, but I saw her one evening by coincidence driving from the shops.

I asked her the next day in work how she was finding not driving to see if she would admit driving but she just said it’s ‘quite difficult’. I then said I had seen her and she admitted she had driven to the shops. She then said she didn’t tell me because she feels judged. She said the doctors have found nothing wrong with her and she feels well. I said well I think the doctors know best and she replied with, ‘the doctors can only base their decisions and diagnosis on information and test results- my test results are normal and I know how I feel’.

should I report her to the DVLA / police / manager at work?

OP posts:
ShimmeringShirts · 22/12/2022 14:56

So she’s had one episode of fainting? I’m always confused and upset after I’ve fainted, it’s rather distressing to wake up on the floor without knowing what’s happened. You’d be VVVU to report to anyone for that, and a complete and utter busybody

UniversalAunt · 22/12/2022 14:58

If you saw her driving a car on a public road, then so could anyone else who knows her recent medical history & decides to contact DVLA.

As mentioned, her insurance may be void if she has not got correct clearance by DVLA standards. If the law stipulates not driving for a period of x months after a seizure, so be it.

In this instance after spending several days & having many tests in hospital, she was told not to drive for the foreseeable future. Of course, this is all told to you as an anecdote, she may have exaggerated or her recollections may vary, unless you were in the room with the doctors.

Blood pressure dropped enough to warrant a hospital tests over several days? Not bloody likely. She’s taking the piss. You could challenge her again, but I am not sure that she really cares about others?

With that attitude to other people’s safety let alone her own, I would give DVLA a quick ring. If a formal query causes her to stump up a medical confirmation that she can drive, be it all well & good. She might develop a more responsible attitude to road & personal safety.

It’s not your job to tell your manager. It is her responsibility.

@Hobbesmanc we went through the same process we were very uncomfortable & upset contacting DVLA about his condition, but it was the right thing to do. He was utterly convinced that he was OK after 50 years of driving but his reactions were much slower than required to cope with road conditions, & he had begun to forget regular routes.

2bazookas · 22/12/2022 14:59

If a doctor has told her not to drive , then her insurance may be invalid and driving uninsured is an offence.

www.gocompare.com/motoring/guides/medical-problems-and-driving/

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

"You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving.

You must give up your licence if any of the following are true:
your doctor tells you to stop driving for 3 months or more"

UniversalAunt · 22/12/2022 14:59

Is she prone to telling tall tales, self dramatisation or fibbing?

fancyacuppatea · 22/12/2022 15:01

DVLA.
Don't get work involved.

Original poster
ZZTopp · 22/12/2022 15:03

Oh dear

OP posts:
Dreamwhisper · 22/12/2022 15:03

ZZTopp · 22/12/2022 15:03

Oh dear

🙄

Original poster
ZZTopp · 22/12/2022 15:04

She said it ‘may’ have been a seizure and she had to pop out to get medicine
she’s probably just saying that though

OP posts:
Original poster
ZZTopp · 22/12/2022 15:05

She has wished me a merry Christmas though so that’s something- unless she’s being sarcastic

OP posts:
user1471447924 · 22/12/2022 15:07

This is rapidly jumping the shark…

FamilyLife2point4 · 22/12/2022 15:09

I’m on the fence for reporting it to dvla (nothing to do with work) - I get the lady feels ok however, there was an incident were a binman passed out and ploughed through several people killing them (on their Christmas shopping trip). If a medical professional says don’t drive, you just don’t take that chance. Getting behind the wheel means you are driving a deadly weapon…..

WiddlinDiddlin · 22/12/2022 15:09

It may NOT have been a seizure at all, you have no idea nor do you have any idea if she was told 'don't drive, we have to inform the DVLA and you have to remain seizure/event free for 6/12 months and then can get your licence back' or in fact told 'don't drive whilst we investigate and get these test results back'.

Anyone of us can have an idiopathic seizure at any moment, ditto, drop down dead - human beings are not failure proof.

2bazookas · 22/12/2022 15:12

ShimmeringShirts · 22/12/2022 14:56

So she’s had one episode of fainting? I’m always confused and upset after I’ve fainted, it’s rather distressing to wake up on the floor without knowing what’s happened. You’d be VVVU to report to anyone for that, and a complete and utter busybody

She was admitted to hospital for days. Not a faint. Its now on her medical record the hospital told her not to drive for the foreseeable future.

The fact they didn't identify a cause isn't the point.

A single unexplained seizure may be the first indication of a serious developing problem; that's why DR's tell people to stop driving for a period , waiting for further symptoms to show themselves. To see if it happens again.

She is required in law to inform the DVLA and her insurers. Not doing so is an offence. She has now breached her insurance policy TOS, invalidating its cover. She risks a fine up to £1000, charges, and becoming uninsurable in future (for mis;leading an insurer).

KatieKline · 22/12/2022 15:14

I'm normally a leave people alone and let them do their own thing. However, my brother and his wife were killed in a head on collision 2 years last Christmas, the driver was on medication for epilepsy, she had been seizure-free for years and was medically cleared to drive. But that day she had a seizure on her way to work, it was a horrific crash, my brother and his wife were killed instantly, he had to be identified by dental records the fire was that bad.

The driver survived but was in a coma for weeks and is now paralysed from the waist down.

Please report your concerns to the DVLA, sucks for her to lose her independence, but the risk is too high to other road users and herself.

Onefootinthegroove · 22/12/2022 15:17

Pinkbluebells · 22/12/2022 14:27

Strangely enough doctors don't have special powers. They don't have the power to insist that people do things or follow their advice. I think the OP sounds like a real busybody with a liking for snooping and trying to catch people out.

It's a fucking legal requirement not to drive in those circumstances. When I was investigated for POTs I had to give the medics my driving licence before my tilt table test, because of the amount of people who ignore the law around driving with certain medical conditions.

ILoveAllRainbowsx · 22/12/2022 15:19

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Natty13 · 22/12/2022 15:21

Send her a link to the woman who was told not to drive following a seizure, ignored it, and killed a toddler.

For those of you who think it's unreasonable to report I sincerely hope it's your children who get killed by these selfish fuckers and not mine.

WhoWants2Know · 22/12/2022 15:22

There are lots of things that can cause a seizure and fainting besides epilepsy. Some of them will reoccur and others may never happen again.

Consultants at hospital will inevitably tell people they can no longer drive if they have had a seizure, but follow up afterwards can be very poor. With no diagnosis, it's hard to know which form to send DVLA and finding someone to clear you to drive is very difficult.

In the meantime, people are often left unable to work if they live somewhere with poor transport. And there's no diagnosis, so they can't claim disability benefits either. So life is on hold because they might have a seizure some day.

It's a shitty situation, and I do feel for the woman.

Cheshiresun · 22/12/2022 15:24

DVLA make the rules about driving, not doctors. Irrespective of the test results and if they were normal, you still can't drive (for however long the DVLA stipulates) after a blackout.

What she is doing is illegal. What if she killed or seriously injured herself or someone else? Does she have no conscience? How would she live with it? How would you live with it if it happened and you didn't report her? I, or no one, wants selfish drivers like her on the roads.

runningonberocca · 22/12/2022 15:25

I have no idea why the OP is getting such a hard time. Yes - do report to the DVLA . They will gather the required information as to whether she has been deemed fit to drive or not. I believe that you have to have at least 6 months seizure free ( regardless of cause) before you can drive. She has been told not to drive - she is not heeding this information. Reporting could save her life, or her child’s or somebody else’s.

StickofVeg · 22/12/2022 15:27

I would honestly keep my beak out. You have only her reported conversations, the doctor has made an assessment. Even if you reported to DVLA so they could check out I certainly wouldn't report to work. You could ruin her job for no reason.

backspace · 22/12/2022 15:28

It's definitely not ok for her to be driving. Although the tests so far have not shown anything she may well have epilepsy which is only diagnosed once you have had two or more seizures. You have to have been seizure free for a year before you can drive again.

MrsDanversGlidesAgain · 22/12/2022 15:33

They don't have the power to insist that people do things or follow their advice

You haven't met my cancer consultant. She scares the living daylights out of me and can cow me into obedience with one look over her mask.

Newwardrobe · 22/12/2022 15:35

user1471447924 · 22/12/2022 15:07

This is rapidly jumping the shark…

I agree

WrongLife · 22/12/2022 15:36

A colleague of mine had a fainting / seizure attack at work - she was told 12 months seizure free. Unluckily she had another one out of the blue 9 months later, which started the clock again. They have now adjusted her medication and hopefully she will now stay seizure free.

I don't think you were wrong to report her, my colleague had been investigated, medicated and still had another seizure while they were waiting to get the all clear. She could have killed someone had she been driving..