Nearly 900,000 medical licencing decisions were made by the DVLA last year to determine whether drivers were fit for UK roads.
The driving agency recorded 887,000 medical licensing decisions between 2022 and 2023, an increase of 130,000 from 2019 to 2020.
Drivers can be fined up to £1,000 if they fail to disclose a medical condition that affects their ability to get behind the wheel.
Medical decisions are conducted to assess a driver's fitness and include a questionnaire, a CDT blood test, and any other tests which may be relevant such as an eye and hearing examination.
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Medical decisions are conducted to assess a driver's fitness
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The DVLA requires drivers with certain conditions to disclose them or they could face hefty penalties.
Motorists can check their medical conditions via the DVLA website to find out the specific requirements.
If drivers find their condition on the list, they can seek a medical opinion but in some cases, they could be told to not get behind the wheel at all.
The list features a range of medical conditions including common ones such as diabetes, depression and high blood pressure.
Before driving, road users are required to make sure their vision, hearing, attention and concentration, memory, insight and understanding of the roads and judgement ability are up to par.
For drivers who have an impairment, they can either voluntarily give up their licence or seek medical attention and advice which would then determine if they are fit enough.
Drivers are required to surrender their licence to the DVLA if a doctor tells them to stop driving for three months or more or if the medical condition affects their ability to drive safely.
For drivers reaching the age of 70, they are required to renew their licence and will have to do so every three years afterwards.
A recent petition which amassed support called for the renewal age to be reduced from 70 to 65 years old.
The petition was launched by Deniss Fomins who called on the Government to act and require Britons to retake their driving test if they want their licence to remain valid.
Speaking at the time, Craig Delahaye, associate director of legal operations at National Accident Helpline, said that as long as drivers remain on top of their health and visit a GP if they feel that certain aspects of their lifestyle are affecting their ability to drive safely, then age shouldn’t be a problem.
He said: “If driving is a necessity for them, then it may be possible to tweak some of these factors.”
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Drivers can be fined up to £1,000 if they fail to disclose a medical condition
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Reporting a medical condition can be done online through the DVLA website. Most people who report a condition get to keep their licence.
A DVLA spokesperson said: “All drivers must meet the medical standards for fitness to drive at all times when driving and notify DVLA of the onset or worsening of a medical condition affecting this. The volume of driving licence applications and renewals has increased as these figures show.
“When considering an application to issue a driving licence we aim to make a decision as quickly as possible. However where we require additional information from a driver or a medical professional involved in their care we will be wholly reliant on receiving this information before a decision can be made.”
