Health conditions that could affect your driving
Health Conditions
There are a number of health conditions that could affect your ability to drive safely from diabetes and epilepsy to schizophrenia and pacemakers.
The law requires you to tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) about any condition that may affect your ability to drive safely. If you are involved in an accident and it is found that your health condition was a contributing factor, you may be prosecuted and your insurance may not be valid.
If you are unsure about whether a health condition you have should be notified to the DVLA, check their website which has a comprehensive A-Z list of all conditions requiring notification or contact us at Chemist On Call.
Medicines
Some prescription drugs and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines can have an effect on the skills required to drive safely. These effects include drowsiness, impaired judgement and a lack of self-confidence. The effects can be short term and temporary, so it should be possible to avoid any risk of driving unsafely if you are aware of the potential problem.
Side-effects can often be worse if medicines are not taken properly – for example, if doses are varied or medicine is taken at the wrong time or too frequently. Prescription or OTC medicines should always be taken properly. Advice about this is provided on the packaging and in the patient information leaflet supplied and packed in with the medicine. Advice can also be obtained from whoever has prescribed the medicine, or from the pharmacist who dispenses it. You can also obtain advice on medication 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from Chemist On Call.
