DVLA revoked licence after spinal injury, blocking medical assessment

DVLA revoked licence after spinal injury, blocking medical assessment — Lifestyle | The Guardian
Source: Lifestyle | The Guardian

A driver who suffered a spinal cord injury in August 2024 voluntarily surrendered their driving licence to the DVLA, only for the licence to be revoked instead. That revocation, they say, makes it much harder to regain driving permission. They were later told a medical driving assessment is required to get the licence back, but cannot take that assessment because they no longer hold a licence.

On their third application they submitted evidence from a spinal consultant and an off‑road driving assessment confirming they can drive with hand controls; that was sent two months ago and the DVLA has still not provided an update. The DVLA has blamed "exceptionally high demand" from drivers with medical conditions for processing delays and says it is introducing a new system to address them.

United Kingdom

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