The number of motorists over the age of 70 having licences revoked for medical reasons has soared, according to new statistics.
Almost 22,500 elderly drivers had their licences taken away last year – which is 142 per cent higher than the number rescinded on medical grounds in 2010.
That’s according to figures obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency following a Freedom of Information request by the Times.
It comes after Prince Philip’s crash near the Queen’s private home at Sandringham in Norfolk earlier in the year.
The number of driving licences revoked from motorists over the age of 70 rose 152% between 2010 and last year. Licences taken away from drivers of all ages on medical grounds were up 117% over the same period
‘For many older people, driving is crucial to maintaining independence so it’s important that they should not be prevented from getting behind the wheel by their age alone,’ Abrahams told the Times.
Drivers legally need to notify the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency if they’ve suffered from strokes, epilepsy or visual impairment before being deemed fit to take control of a car on British roads.
However, there are some conditions in particular that many people don’t know they need to tell the DVLA about before hitting the road – including deja vu and eating disorders.
You can see the full list of medical conditions you need to notify the DVLA about having if it has an impact on your capacity to drive a vehicle,
The Department for Transport said the issue of older drivers would be addressed in a ‘refreshed road safety statement’ that was due to be published later this year.
MEDICAL CONDITIONS THE DVLA LISTS THAT COULD AFFECT YOUR DRIVING
Absence seizures
Acoustic neuroma
Addison’s disease
Agoraphobia
AIDS
Alcohol problems
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Amputations
Angina
Angioma
Angioplasty
Ankylosing spondylitis
Anorexia nervosa
Anxiety
Aortic aneurysm
Arachnoid cyst
Arnold-Chiari malformation
Arrhythmia
Atrial defibrillator
Arteriovenous malformation
Arthritis
Asperger syndrome
Ataxia
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD)
Balloon angioplasty (leg)
Bipolar disorder
Blackouts
Blepharospasm
Blood clots
Blood pressure
Brachial plexus injury
Brain abscess, cyst or encephalitis
Brain aneurysm
Brain angioma
Brain haemorrhage
Brain injury (traumatic)
Brain tumours
Branch retinal vein occlusion
Broken limbs and driving
Burr hole surgery
Caesarean section
Cancer
Cataracts
Catheter ablation
Cardiac problems
Carotid artery stenosis
Cataplexy
Cerebral palsy
Chronic aortic dissection
Cognitive problems
Congenital heart disease
Convulsions
Coronary artery bypass or disease
Coronary angioplasty
Cystic fibrosis
Deafness
Defibrillator
Déjà vu
Dementia
Depression
Diabetes
Diabetic retinopathy
Dilated cardiomyopathy
Diplopia (double vision)
Dizziness
Drug misuse
Eating disorders
Empyema (brain)
Epilepsy
Essential tremor
Fainting
Fits
Fractured skull
Friedreich’s ataxia
Giddiness (recurring)
Glaucoma
Global amnesia
Grand mal seizures
Guillain-Barré syndrome
Head injury
Heart attack
Heart arrhythmia
Heart failure
Heart murmurs
Heart palpitations
Heart valve disease or replacement valve
Hemianopia
High blood pressure
HIV
Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Huntington’s disease
Hydrocephalus
Hypertension
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Hypoglycaemia
Hypoxic brain damage
Hysterectomy
Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)
Intracerebral haemorrhage
Ischaemic heart disease
Kidney dialysis
Kidney problems
Korsakoff’s syndrome
Labyrinthitis
Learning difficulties
Left bundle branch block
Leukaemia
Lewy body dementia
Limb disability
Low blood sugar
Lumboperitoneal shunt
Lung cancer
Lymphoma
Macular degeneration
Malignant brain tumours
Malignant melanoma
Manic depressive psychosis
Marfan syndrome
Medulloblastoma
Memory problems (severe)
Meningioma
Mini-stroke
Monocular vision
Motor neurone disease
Multiple sclerosis
Myasthenia gravis
Myocardial infarction
Myoclonus
Narcolepsy
Night blindness
Nystagmus
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Obstructive sleep apnoea
Optic atrophy
Optic neuritis
Pacemakers
Palpitations
Paranoia
Paranoid schizophrenia
Paraplegia
Parkinson’s disease
Peripheral arterial disease
Peripheral neuropathy
Personality disorder
Petit mal seizures
Pituitary tumour
Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Psychosis
Psychotic depression
Renal dialysis
Retinal treatment
Retinopathy
Schizo-affective disorder
Schizophrenia
Scotoma
Seizures
Sight in one eye only
Sleep apnoea
Sleepiness (excessive daytime)
Spinal problems and injuries and driving
Stroke
Subarachnoid haemorrhage
Surgery
Syncope
Tachycardia
Temporal lobe epilepsy
Tonic clonic fits
Tourette’s syndrome
Transient global amnesia
Transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
Tunnel vision
Usher syndrome
Valve disease or replacement valve
Ventricular defibrillator
Vertigo
Vision in one eye only
Visual acuity (reduced)
Visual field defects
VP shunts
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
Source: Gov.uk