How would you manage if you lost your driving licence tomorrow?

[tomorrowisanotherdate]

For example, vertigo is a common one, I have had several friends develop vertigo and lose their license,

You cannot be insured to drive within 6 months of a vertigo attack, and both friends had attacks out of the blue in their early 40s - one only ever had one serious attack and had her license back in about a year - the other has never since gone 6 month between attacks, and has sold her car now

So suppose you have a vertigo attack out of the blue tonight, and can't drive for 6 months, starting now, how would that impact on your life?

Am I Being unreasonable to think lives should be planned around possibly being in this contingency, when choosing homes, jobs schools etc?

I absolutely love driving, love, love the freedom. However, if it really was only 6 months, I'd be absolutely fine.

Live 10 minutes from the tube, 20 minutes from town, always take the tube to centre if London. Dh can drive.

My elderly parents live an hour away but trains are still doable.

Would be good for me to walk more.

Absolutely no difference - I have one but don't drive, usually walk / get a bus or train

You wouldn't die, you total drama queen. I've got the obvious neurological condition which prevents driving and I'm still alive, despite handing over my licence.

Good, I am glad you were told which side! Epley manoeuvre has sometimes helped a bit for me, but it can't be used if you are affected on both sides, or if it isn't clear which side is affected, and if it is as severe or long lasting attack then the Epley manoeuvre doesn't make a lot of difference. Plus at different stages of recovery it can be counter productive. Some attacks are actually not due to deterioration, but to improvement ( I mean over several months) and your brain struggling to adjust to the improvement, so Epley manoeuvre is not suitable then

as I have said, if you "googled" and performed the Eply manoeuvre without a doctor confirming for you which side was affected, then you were risking making it a lot worse. And you can't "sort it yourself". What you mean is you had a very brief, mild attack and it went away relatively quickly. it wasn't anything you did. You might not be so lucky next time

I would have to rely on DH, as he would have to rely on me if the situation were reversed.

You can do it on yourself. As myself and others have done.. that’s the whole point of it - it can work. Otherwise it wouldn’t be a recognised thing to do.

Epley manouvre is helpful sometimes. If it is a mild attack. If you are only affected on one side, and if you know which side that is.

So what you are saying is you happen to have had a mild enough attack and only on one clear side, for the manoeuvre to work on you, not that you "sorted out" vertigo for yourself, but that you were lucky enough to have had a mild and easily managed attack.

This isn't anything you did, this is just luck, that time. Net time you might not be so lucky, in fact the next attack is likely to be a reactive attack, and the Epley won't work, because it is your bodies response to the crystals resettling, rather than to crystals getting out of position.

Lost my licence when dvla wrongly applied a new EU rule that wasn't due to come into affect for another 9 months, had to fight dvla by phoning daily, and hiring a driving lawyer. Got it back. Meantime access to work provided a cab to work. Hated it, hated having my independence removed.

I’m disabled and cannot walk far so I’d be screwed. I wouldn’t be able to get my child to school, go to my drs or hospital appointments. I literally wouldn’t be able to leave my flat unless I had someone else drive me

I'd be fine at this stage. It'd be inconvenient for sure, but I'd manage.

I could get the bus to and from work and get door to door by bus in half an hour (or walk...its 45 mins each way to walk it)

It'd be annoying when taking the kids to activities, but eldest could make her own way and DS activities generally in walking distance.

Kids are high school and college aged so would be fine really. If they were younger and my working hours were different, It'd be a nightmare to manage.

Unless you've got a different disability which prevents walking far (in which case you have my sympathies) you'd manage. That might mean moving to a city or adjusting work, or not having the social life you'd exactly like, but you'd manage. There really isn't any other option.

How do you just 'move to a city'? How would you secure social housing or an affordable private rental on a low income? It's hardly a simple thing!

I can't see moving a rural business into a town would work some how!

I live in a major city - work is just over 2 miles away, there’s 2 supermarkets within 1 mile and another a bit further away where there’s also a big retail park. Plus small local shops including a chemist within walking distance. The gym is half a mile away.
there’s 6 bus routes pass the end of my road, 2 of which take you to the main hospital and 4 get me to work and the city centre. I can be at a mainline train station in 20minutes and to the airport takes about an hour by public transport (compared to 20-30min driving).

Same thing happened to me in 2013. Woke up with vertigo. GP did a home visit, told me it was temporary- gave me meds for it (travel sickness tablets). Obv didnt drive until a couple weeks later when it had gone completely. Noone ever mentioned informing the DVLA and it didnt occur to me. Has never happened since thankfully, and it's been 11 years. I also did the epley manoeuvre which seemed to help.

Same for my mum - in fact she was better and had fewer symptoms if she was driving! Being a passenger made her vertigo worse! But at no stage did GP say not to drive... and it was 5 months before she felt totally better after her worst attack!

I would manage, I live close to many different shops and a train station. For work and collecting dc from the schools I would buy electric bikes and scooter etc.
I absolutely adore my car! I would struggle losing that freedom esp as I was a late driver anyway.

Sorry, I can't remember. It was a few years ago. DVLA website or insurer might be able to help.

I mostly use my car for long distance travel now and I live within walking distance of a train line to civilisation, so it would be ok, although inconvenient. Although the nearby town is small, it has most things I need ('proper' shops, opticians etc are half an hour away by car) and I can get food delivery from 2 supermarkets.

I had aout 6 weeks where I couldn't drive due to an eye condition (not barred by anyone, just couldn't see properly!), and it was annoying, but doable.

Am I Being unreasonable to think lives should be planned around possibly being in this contingency, when choosing homes, jobs schools etc?

Yes, you are. What about taxi drivers or delivery drivers or others who drive for their job- should they just give up work "just in case"? You cannot possibly plan for every single eventuality or mishap. Some element of life risk exists for all of us. It's annoying to have something happen out of the blue like that but you cant plan for literally everything. By this rationale you could argue what if I develop agoraphobia and cant leave the house? what if my roof caves in and I end up homeless? what if I end up disabled from an accident with some machinery? what if I get long covid and can no longer work? what if my house burns down? Like, where does the list of potential catastrophes end?- you can plan for many things and then something unexpected still happens that didnt even cross your mind.

i would be totally stuffed if I couldn’t drive suddenly. Child’s school is over 10 miles away my work is 30 miles from my home in a different city.

Am I Being unreasonable to think lives should be planned around possibly being in this contingency, when choosing homes, jobs schools etc?

Yes. Shit happens. Life shifts and changes. We cannot live every moment on a 'what if....?' basis.

You can get insurance, however, for some situations which is worth a look.

Yes. Shit happens. Life shifts and changes. We cannot live every moment on a 'what if....?' basis

Exactly and actually, if everyone gave up driving "just in case" something might happen in the future there would be NO buses or trains to transport anyone anyway so noone would be able to travel anywhere that they couldn't walk!! 😂

its not case of giving up driving "just in case" - it is a case of having a plan B, and being aware just how suddenly and unexpectedly your licence can be withdrawn - hundreds of people who are waking up with a driving licence today will have lost it by tomorrow