DVLA warns drivers could be slapped with £1k fine
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency issued the message to all drivers in the UK
The DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) is warning drivers that they could be hit with a staggering £1,000 fine if they fail to do one simple task. In a message on their website, the government body warns that people high blood pressure may have to declare it - but only in certain circumstances.
Whilst high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, does not stop a person from driving, the experts explain that drivers who hold a car or motorcycle licence need to follow a set of rules. They state: "You do not need to tell DVLA if you have high blood pressure."
However they add: "You must stop driving if a doctor says you have malignant hypertension." This is a "sudden rise in your blood pressure, also known as accelerated hypertension."
They stress that you are not allowed to drive until you receive medical clearance confirming that your condition is under control, noting: "You can drive again when a doctor confirms that your condition is well controlled."
If you have a bus, coach or lorry licence, you also don't need to tell the DVLA if your numbers are "consistently below 180/100mmHg" meaning "you can keep driving."
However, you must stop driving and tell DVLA if either:
your blood pressure is consistently above 180/100mmHg
a doctor says you have malignant hypertension
"You can drive again when a doctor confirms that your condition is well controlled" motorists are being warned.
How to declare to the DVLA I have high blood pressure?
There's a different way to tell DVLA depending on your condition. You must:
fill in form BP1V if your blood pressure is consistently above 180/100mmHg (but you do not have malignant hypertension)
fill in form VOCH1 if you have malignant hypertension
Send it to the address on the form.
Can I drive if I have low blood pressure?
No, you don't need to inform the DVLA if you have low blood pressure. However, you must notify them if you have or develop a medical condition that could affect your ability to drive, such as dizziness or fainting.
Conditions that you need to declare to the DVLA- full list
They note: "You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving. You may be prosecuted if you're involved in an accident as a result."
The full list of conditions you need to tell the DVLA about are below. You can also view them via the GOV.UK website here.
Check the guidance on seizures and epilepsy Check the guidance on acoustic neuroma
Check the guidance on Addison's disease Check the guidance on agoraphobia Check the guidance on alcohol problems
Check the guidance on Alzheimers disease Check the guidance on transient ischaemic attacks and mini-strokes Check the guidance on amputations
Check the guidance on motor neuron disease - also known as ALS Check the guidance on angina Check the guidance on heart attacks and angioplasty
Check the guidance on ankylosing spondylitis Check the guidance on eating disorders Check the guidance on anxiety
Check the guidance on aortic aneurysms Check the guidance on arachnoid cysts Check the guidance on arrhythmias
Check the guidance on defibrillators Check the guidance on arteriovenous malformations Check the guidance on arthritis
Check the guidance on autistic spectrum condition, including asperger syndrome Check the guidance on ataxia, including Friedrich's ataxia Check the guidance on ADHD
Check the guidance on autistic spectrum condition, including asperger syndrome
B
Check the guidance on balloon angioplasties in the leg Check the guidance on bipolar disorder - previously known as manic depression
Check the guidance on blackouts and fainting Check the guidance on eye conditions Check the guidance on blood clots
Check the guidance on blood pressure Check the guidance on brachial plexus injuries Check the guidance on brain abscesses, cysts or encephalitis
Check the guidance on brain aneurysms Check the guidance on angiomas Check the guidance on brain haemorrhages
Check the guidance on traumatic brain injuries Check the guidance on brain tumours Check the guidance on broken limbs
Check the guidance on Brugada syndrome Check the guidance on burr hole surgery
C
Check the guidance on surgery
Check the guidance on cancer (not including leukaemia) Check the guidance on eye conditions Check the guidance on catheter ablations
Check the guidance on cardiac problems Check the guidance on carotid artery stenosis Check the guidance on cataplexy
Check the guidance on cavernomas Check the guidance on central venous thrombosis Check the guidance on cerebral palsy
Check the guidance on Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease Check the guidance on Chiari malformation Check the guidance on chronic aortic dissection
Check the guidance on cognitive problems Check the guidance on congenital heart disease Check the guidance on fits, convulsions and seizures
Check the guidance on coronary artery bypass or disease Check the guidance on heart attacks and angioplasty Check the guidance on eye conditions
Check the guidance on cystic fibrosis
D
Check the guidance on deafness Check the guidance on defibrillators
Check the guidance on deja vu Check the guidance on dementia Check the guidance on depression
Check the guidance on diabetes Check the guidance on dilated cardiomyopathy Check the guidance on eye conditions
Check the guidance on dizziness (including vertigo) Check the guidance on drug misuse
E
Check the guidance on eating disorders
Check the guidance on brain empyemas Check the guidance on seizures and epilepsy Check the guidance on essential tremors
Check the guidance on eye conditions
F
Check the guidance on blackouts and fainting Check the guidance on fits, convulsions and seizures
Check the guidance on head injuries Check the guidance on ataxia, including Friedrich's ataxia
G
Check the guidance on eye conditions
Check the guidance on global amnesia Check the guidance on seizures and epilepsy Check the guidance on Guillain Barré syndrome
H
Check the guidance on head injuries Check the guidance on heart attacks and angioplasty Check the guidance on arrhythmias
Check the guidance on heart failure Check the guidance on heart murmurs Check the guidance on heart palpitations
Check the guidance on heart valve disease or replacement valves Check the guidance on high blood pressure Check the guidance on HIV
Check the guidance on Hodgkin's lymphoma Check the guidance on Huntington's disease Check the guidance on hydrocephalus
Check the guidance on high blood pressure Check the guidance on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Check the guidance on hypoglycaemia
Check the guidance on hypoxic brain damage Check the guidance on surgery
I
Check the guidance on defibrillators
Check the guidance on intracerebral haemorrhages Check the guidance on ischaemic heart disease
K
Check the guidance on kidney dialysis (also known as renal dialysis
Check the guidance on kidney problems Check the guidance on Korsakoff's syndrome
L
Check the guidance on labyrinthitis
Check the guidance on learning difficulties Check the guidance on left bundle branch blocks Check the guidance on leukaemia
Check the guidance on Lewy body dementia Check the guidance on limb disability Check the guidance on Long QT syndrome
Check the guidance on monocular vision Check the guidance on hypoglycaemia Check the guidance on lumboperitoneal shunts
Check the guidance on lung cancer Check the guidance on lymphoma
M
Check the guidance on eye conditions
Check the guidance on brain tumours Check the guidance on malignant melanoma Check the guidance on bipolar disorder - previously known as manic depression
Check the guidance on Marfan's syndrome Check the guidance on medulloblastomas Check the guidance on severe memory problems
Check the guidance on meningioma Check the guidance on transient ischaemic attacks and mini-strokes Check the guidance on monocular vision
Check the guidance on motor neurone disease Check the guidance on multiple sclerosis Check the guidance on muscular dystrophy
Check the guidance on myasthenia gravis Check the guidance on heart attacks and angioplasty Check the guidance on myoclonus
N
Check the guidance on narcolepsy Check the guidance on eye conditions
O
Check the guidance on obsessive compulsive disorder
Check the guidance on excessive sleepiness Check the guidance on eye conditions Check the guidance on eye conditions
P
Check the guidance on pacemakers Check the guidance on heart palpitations Check the guidance on paranoia
Check the guidance on paranoia Check the guidance on paraplegia Check the guidance on Parkinson's disease
Check the guidance on peripheral arterial disease Check the guidance on peripheral neuropathy Check the guidance on personality disorders
Check the guidance on seizures and epilepsy Check the guidance on pituitary tumours Check the guidance on PTSD
Check the guidance on psychosis Check the guidance on psychotic depression Check the guidance on pulmonary arterial hypertension
R
Check the guidance on kidney dialysis (also known as renal dialysis Check the guidance on transient ischaemic attacks and mini-strokes Check the guidance on eye conditions
Check the guidance on eye conditions
S
Check the guidance on schizo-affective disorders Check the guidance on schizophrenia
Check the guidance on scotoma Check the guidance on fits, convulsions and seizures Check the guidance on severe communication disorders
Check the guidance on severe depression Check the guidance on monocular vision Check the guidance on excessive sleepiness
Check the guidance on excessive sleepiness Check the guidance on spinal problems Check the guidance on strokes
Check the guidance on subarachnoid haemorrhages Check the guidance on surgery Check the guidance on blackouts and fainting
T
Check the guidance on tachycardia Check the guidance on seizures and epilepsy Check the guidance on seizures and epilepsy
Check the guidance on Tourette's syndrome Check the guidance on global amnesia Check the guidance on transient ischaemic attacks and mini-strokes
Check the guidance on eye conditions
U
Check the guidance on Usher syndrome
V
Check the guidance on heart valve disease or replacement valves
Check the guidance on defibrillators Check the guidance on dizziness (including vertigo) Check the guidance on monocular vision
Check the guidance on eye conditions Check the guidance on eye conditions Check the guidance on VP shunts
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W
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
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