How quickly do the DVLA act on concerns about unfit drivers?

[redstaff]

I reported my MIL to the DVLA, she is not medically fit to drive. How long does the process start? I reported her 4 days ago.

She was in hospital with respiratory failure on Saturday hooked up to a breathing thing but has now been discharged. She has a lot of medical conditions and is barely mobile. She slurs when she talks and is on some pretty powerful meds (Gabepentin, Epilum and high dose anti depressants plus a load more - at least 9 prescriptions id say). She does not have epilepsy, she takes the meds for migraines.

She can barely get out of her chair at home nor step in her ensuite shower (because the 10cm step is too high) but she’s talking about driving again next week!!

I’m just wondering how quickly the DVLA act on these things? I’m really worried that she’s going to seriously injure or kill someone?

*Her neighbour also said MIL shouldn’t be driving and has reported to the DVLA as well.

When i did it, years ago, it took weeks, can’t remember how many. I reported about eyesight and they got a letter telling them to make an appointment at a certain optician, and they said that they couldn’t drive and removed the licence.
The kids didn’t feel able to remove the car, and they couldn’t trust them not to drive, so they disconnected the battery to make it hard if they tried. The kids also informed the insurance company.

Weeks oh gosh! This makes me so nervous because she’s talking about driving next week. Despite having two Tesco deliveries booked in she still ‘needs’ to get to Tesco next Friday.

Arghhhh! Thank you for replying. I really hope the DVLA can assess her quickly and revoke her licence. She also has massive water retention in her legs and can barely lift them. I don’t know how she’s able to switch pedals.

I think her car keys should go missing and you can't find them. Or the battery goes flat. (Disconnect as PP suggested)

Could her GP help. I've done it before for relatives who were concerned about their parents ' driving ability. Got a letter from one son, called the patient in with the son(patient happy for son to be there) had a talk about safety of driving and his medical condition and said not to drive. Fortunately he listened not like a colleague who had a patient still driving without a licence she caught him driving into the surgery carpark and discussed it at the appointment. He refused to stop so she reported him to police. He was furious and filed a huge complaint. So even if the DVLA say no your mother could ignore it. Unfortunately sometimes the relatives have to take drastic action.

This is what a friend did in similar circumstances. Another friend challenged her on the morality of hiding someone else's property to which the response was a sharp 'its either that or she hits a child' (her mother lived close to a school)

These selfish people with no concern about anyone else. No one needs to go to Tesco. I get that older people lose the ability to see things in a certain way, 'I will be careful', I am better than these young drivers,'I have driven for years' etc.

If this women ran over any of your family what would you really think? Last year around here an elderly women who had dents all over her car ran over a dog.

She confused the brake for the accelerator. I still see her every so often but as she only drives locally that is ok!!

There are clearly a few issues with your mother in law’s health and some of them may indeed mean that she shouldn’t be driving, but barely being able to get out of her chair and finding the step in her shower too high are completely irrelevant to her ability to drive safely! Similarly slurred speech might be a sigh of a neurological condition that means she shouldn’t drive, but might not.

Obviously if the drugs she is taking say she shouldn’t drive while taking them, then she shouldn’t. But if everyone taking anti-depressants was banned from driving that would exclude many perfectly competent drivers.

I agree with what everyone is saying and trust me we are doing everything we can in a very difficult situation, plus we live an hour away so don’t know what she gets up to and to top it off I am pregnant with my first having a very difficult pregnancy.

MIL refuses all kinds of help - she was discharged from hospital just Thursday with a list of treatment/assessments etc that she refused.

as for the comment about anti depressants- no I am not suggesting people that take them should not drive (please don’t be stupid). I mentioned the meds as she is taking a lot of highly sedative medications which will surely impact her ability to drive safely - I mentioned it asking if the DVLA will consider this? I don’t know, I’ve never done this before hence my post asking for advice.

Taking keys away, sabotaging her car, taking her to the doctors not an option unless we literally put a gun to her head and physically carry a 25 stone woman out of the house!

I hope the DVLA can act quickly on this. I am
deeply worried. I told the hospital she was unsafe to be discharged, I’ve contacted the LA adult support services, I’ve contacted environmental health because she lives in squalor. I am at my wits end so please be kind!

So anyone can just report a driver to the DVLA and get their licence removed?

Don’t you have to provide any proof that it is warranted?

I think anyone can report it, I reported it and the neighbour has also. Neighbour has also asked her adult children to report it because MIL dinked neighbours car a few weeks ago.

When I completed the DVLA form it asked for a brief reason of why she shouldn’t be driving, I explained everything - falling at home, hospitalised for respiratory failure, water leg thing, zero mobility and stability. List of strong meds etc… Her eyes aren’t great either - so hopefully she’ll have to provide a recent eye test as a minimum.

MILs car is covered in dents and scrapes - god knows what she’s done out there. Thankfully she hasn’t driven for 2 weeks but I’m concerned that she’s ‘going to Tesco next week’.

Its selfish disgusting behaviour and we’re both sick of her attitude.

One good thing is that if the DVLA say she shouldn’t drive, or even a GP she will relinquish her car. She just won’t hear it from anyone other than either DVLA or a GP.

Where are her keys physically right now?

You have to do what's most right and that means taking the keys away so she physically can't drive. She's not about to run after you, is she?

(I reported my mum to the DVLA for being alcoholic. Not sure how long it took them but they sent her a letter saying she needed to see the GP I think. She stopped semi-voluntarily but I was ready to phone the police if I heard she was on the road, so I know it's emotionally hard).

I reported an elderly friend who I thought I had eyesight problems and also was very forgetful and likely to have dementia. They regularly got lost in familiar places and forgot where they parked the car a few times. Also the car had dints and scrapes on every panel. They had to go to spec savers and fill in a form. Course they said they were fit to drive and said the eye sight test came back ok .They also took a couple of months for this
so they carried on driving until they crashed into a post. Luckily no one was injured but the car was written off. It is best , if family, to take car keys off them and say it’s time to give up driving

Take the battery out of the car then she can’t drive. A friend of mine did this with her elderly mother who was an acoholic and kept driving around drunk. Worked a treat.

I’m really losing hope that the DVLA report will make a difference.

We cannot take her keys - unfortunately she lives in squalor and unsanitary conditions and likely has her keys stuffed down her pissy soaked continence pads.

I am truly relying on external help here! And just hope and pray that the DVLA or GP services intervene.

Clearly if the OP is telling the truth and I have no reason to doubt that she is this women is a menace on the roads. And is it really true she is 25 stone? If she cannot get out of a chair how she is going to get in and out of a car.

I do agree though that a lot of old people will listen to GP, police etc but not to their own family. For some reason they think the family are just causing problems for them

My Father was an awful driver. Would back into a post and not realise he had done it. His car was also covered in dents and scrapes but claimed not to know why they were there!

In the end my sister told him he needed to sell his car which was worth probably a few hundred! He lived in an area with good transport but he made a real nuisance of himself trying to get a better price for his car. In the end she drove it away and said she would get the best price she could (£500!)

Surely with all that going on she must be seeing a doctor regularly? Have you passed concerns onto the surgery ?

Yeah she actually drives herself to the doctors to get her leg ulcers redressed every week.

Last time I went to the docs with her I said she shouldn’t be driving and they said there’s nothing they can do. No one will listen to us.

This sounds just like my MIL. We even asked her if we can use her car for a while because I’m pregnant and we only have one car so it’s be useful having a second car temporarily for my appointments. She rolled her eyes and said no she needs it to go to Tesco.

Do you actually know she's unsafe to drive as you seem to making a lot of assumptions. Has anyone asked a health professional? Do you know all her meds? She's not planning on driving until next week, if she's just come out of hospital she'll probably be a bit better by then.

when we picked her up from the hospital on Thursday my husband had to practically drag her out of the car and lift her in her house. I asked the same question - how the hell does she get in/out her car?

She does have BIL living with her who is equally as unwell, unhealthy, selfish (he’s unemployed) - so I suspect he probably helps her in/out the car.

So the gp told you they can't do anything, but you're hoping the gp intervenes?

im sure the gp can report just like anyone else.

Yes I know she’s unsafe 100% for a fact because she cannot even get to the toilet without shitting herself, she lives in squalor, falls 3-4 times per week. Has a long list of medical issues that affect her mobility badly. She cannot even cut her toenails. And she has ‘double vision’

She has admitted herself that she hasn’t driven for 2 weeks because she was swerving all over the road. We thought we’d had a breakthrough with this but she called last night to say she’ll be driving to Tesco next week.

i haven’t assumed this - this is straight from the horses mouth.

And have her discharge papers from Thursdays visit which lists her meds.

Going through this now and it's been months. Not sure how many but might be six months, maybe longer. The catalyst was a crash but similarly the car was covered in scrapes and bumps already. Car was a write off so no vehicle to drive now while we wait. DVLA has consulted GP and waiting on their decision in light of GP's info. It is long long process or has been in my case at least.

As pp have said, take the keys or battery out. Or buy a wheel clamp if need be.

Is it definitely taxed and insured? You can check online and get it clamped maybe if there's a paperwork problem.

Fair enough but some of the things you mention are irrelevant to her ability to drive. Maybe focus on the actual reasons rather than slagging her off for being overweight or living in squalor. if she's so overweight perhaps she needs some care and support at home to manage