Once again we have a thread asking for information on Driving, yet once again with No mention or indication of the Drivers age, or the stage of their Dementia, or how many year ago they were diagnosed with a Mental Illness, I fail to understand how we could possible reply without that information.
Will I have to give up driving if I have dementia?
Being diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer’s doesn’t always mean that you have to give up your car straight away. Find out why and when you might need to stop driving
Being able to drive is often a key part of maintaining independence as you get older, so if you’ve just been diagnosed with dementia you’re probably really concerned that you might lose your driving license immediately.
But don’t panic. The good news is that a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s doesn’t have to put a stop to your driving.
Could this be you?
You’ve been driving for decades and consider yourself a safe, responsible driver who’s never been involved in a road traffic accident. After all these years behind the wheel, driving is simply an automatic action that needs very little thinking, you are still perfectly capable of driving your car…
Two facts worth knowing
Whilst you have every intention of continuing to drive safely, and the skills involved might feel totally automatic, driving does in fact require a complex mixture of thought processes and manual skills, which sadly can be affected by dementia.
1. Your spatial awareness –the ability to judge distances between areas – might not be as accurate as it used to be, and this can impact quite noticeably on your ability to work out safe distances while you’re driving.
2. Dementia can also affect your ability to make sense of road signs, remember routes and rules of the road, have quick enough reaction times to allow for stopping, starting and the actions of other drivers, and being able to read the road.
BUT: Dementia is a condition that gets gradually worse, many of these symptoms may not be a problem for you yet, and it’s quite possible you could continue to drive for some time.
Telling the DVLA about your dementia
It is a legal requirement to declare your diagnosis to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and you could face a fine if you fail to do so. Once this is done, unless your doctor has already advised that you stop driving, the DVLA will send a questionnaire to get permission to look at medical reports from your doctor. Advisors at the DVLA will then make a decision on whether you can continue to drive based on these reports.
They may also request that you take a driving assessment at a mobility centre so you can be appraised. If they decide that you can still drive, you’ll get a new driving licence that’s valid for a limited time period (usually one year, but it can be longer). This means you’ll need to be reviewed once the licence runs out.
If it’s decided that you can’t drive any more, you can appeal the decision, but you won’t be allowed to drive until the appeal is heard.
Did you know? Most people continue to drive for around three years after being diagnosed with dementia