Motoring after a stroke(view report contents)
Driving after a stroke
Legal requirements
You must not drive a car for at least a month after a stroke. If your GP is happy that you have made a full recovery, you can return to driving, but if you have on-going problems, you must tell the DVLA. You must also tell them about any other medical conditions such as epilepsy or diabetes. If fits are controlled by medication, you will not be licensed to drive until you have been free of fits for a year, not counting any epileptic attacks you had within 24 hours of the stroke. You will probably be asked to complete a questionnaire and to give the DVLA permission to contact your GP or hospital consultant for more information.
You may be issued with a full licence, a time-limited licence (for later review) or with a licence to drive only automatics or vehicles that have been adapted.
The DVLA may require you to attend a Mobility Centre for a driving assessment – see Plan of action.
You need to tell your insurance company of your stroke and of any special controls fitted to your car. And both the DVLA and your insurer need to be kept informed of any changes to your health or medication.
For further information on getting a driving licence, go to www.dvla.gov.uk or get What you need to know about driving licences (D100) from a post office.
Effects of a stroke
A stroke can damage any part of your brain. The effects – which can be temporary or permanent – vary hugely, depending on which part is affected and how extensive the damage is.
Physical effects commonly include weakness down one side of the body, affecting your arm, leg or both. Car adaptations can often overcome these problems: see below for summaries and our Car controls guide for more detail. Limb spasms can be controlled by medication and cars can be adapted so these won’t affect the pedals. Only in severe cases will these stop you driving.
Sight can be affected by a stroke. Some eye conditions recover over time or you may learn to adapt to them – the DVLA will decide if this means that you can resume driving.
To drive you must be able to read a standard size number plate (with glasses or lenses if necessary) from 20.5 metres (67 feet) or 20 metres (65 feet) where narrower characters are used. If your visual field is restricted, you will need specialist assessment to check that it meets DVLA requirements. If it doesn’t, you will not be able to drive.
Speech and language problems should not prevent you driving unless you have difficulty following road signs or learning to use adaptations.
A stroke can affect concentration, judgement, speed of thought, memory,
perception and attention. These often improve and may clear completely.
You need to be able to react quickly and to act logically when driving.
If you can’t, you may have to give up driving. A Mobility
Centre can carry out a full assessment of your skills and advise on
driving safely.
Report Contents
About
this guide
Driving
after a stroke
Choosing
a car
Plan
of action
Products
and techniques
Finance
Further
information
Helpful
organisations
