No longer able to drive

[Deleted member 29304]

Hi All, I have just been informed by a consultant at St George's Hospital Tooting, that I should stop driving due to having sleep apnoea and if I were to carry on driving and was involved in an accident I could be fined up to £1000 or worse. So I will not be looking for any cars whether Nissan or not and will have to cancel my involvement with this club soon .

Yours peter0003

 

[1275]

The question I'd ask myself is Do I feel like I may fall asleep whilst driving?

I believe sleep apnoea has only recently become a notifiable illness. https://www.gov.uk/obstructive-sleep-apnoea-and-driving

and when you do advise the DVLA advice is to do so by letter, and keep copies. where do you consider you fit in with this description ? https://www.gov.uk/obstructive-sleep-apnoea-and-driving

1.2.1 Group 1, Car and Motorcycle Drivers
Mild, moderate or severe Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) without excessive sleepiness:
You may continue to drive as normal and you do not need to notify the DVLA.
Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (OSAS), i.e. Obstructive Sleep Apnoea with the symptom of excessive sleepiness:
You must NOT drive until the excessive sleepiness symptom has been satisfactorily controlled. However, you must inform the DVLA if the symptoms cannot be controlled within three months.
Moderate or severe Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (OSAS) i.e. Obstructive Sleep Apnoea with the symptom of excessive sleepiness:
You must NOT drive and must notify the DVLA. You will continue to be licensed to drive, or can apply for your driving license to be restored if previously revoked, once your OSAS is under control, your sleepiness has improved, and you are adhering to CPAP treatment. The DVLA will require medical confirmation of this.
Excessive sleepiness due to suspected Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome (OSAS):
You must NOT drive until the symptom is satisfactorily controlled but need only notify the DVLA if the suspected diagnosis is confirmed as mild OSAS and the symptoms cannot be controlled within three months. If the diagnosis is that the OSAS is moderate or severe, the notification requirements in the previous paragraph apply.

 

[plmval]

My NHS sleep apnoea consultant offered me a free NHS funded Cpap air pump to minimise and alleviate obstructive apnoea issues.
Reference:
https://www.eu-pap.co.uk/cpap-sleep...Y4lQ870I6FTa-ocjq5FObWmAPQ7nBDOhoC59UQAvD_BwE

Subsequently, at the age of 56,I choose to have a minor operation, on the NHS, to remove excessive & surplus throat/airway tissue to rectify the obstructive airway problems that caused apnoea & snoring issues. I would not even consider letting a little problem like that stop me from driving.

Reference; https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/obstructive-sleep-apnoea/treatment/

What you don’t ask for, you don’t get? All fixed now & tickety- boo ok!

 

[Low Rider]

The default response from the DVLA seems to be to revoke your licence. This happened to a colleague of mine anyway. His doctor told him he needed to inform the DVLA. He did and the cancelled his licence immediately and left him stranded at work. They wouldn't re-instate it until he had a cpap and had sent them proof.

When they gave him his licence back however, they took away all of his driving categories and told him, if he wanted them back he would have to take the required tests (trailer licence etc). D'oh!

 

[DEdgeMac]

I think in these types of instances it all depends on the individual as to how much it could possibly effect your driving.

Legally speaking you would be liable to inform them to avoid a worst case scenario but it has to be said in these instances honesty is usually a detriment to your position- I'm sure there's many people on the road with the same/similar sleeping conditions that haven't even been advised to notify the DVLA and notice no negative influence on their driving.

Now you have been informed I'd personally avoid driving in the near future- to cover yourself- then look to have a procedure carried out like the one mentioned above so that you can carry on driving without having to sit a re-test to be honest.

 

[Deleted member 29304]

Hi All, Back in July 2017 before I became a member of your club I was involved in a bad road accident. The third parties car was on its roof & my car had its driver’s wheel tucked in under the car. Both I & the other party had minor injuries but the police accused of being asleep at the wheel. It was a very hot day and I was driving a Toyota that I had for 3 months and just done a 14 hrs shift so tiredness was a factor even though I had told the DVLA about 4 years earlier that I had sleep apnoea and I had no restrictions on my driving.

yours peter0003