You are not hijacking - this is the right place for you to seek information, advice or help and it is the right topic i.e. Driving.
I appreciate your husband is desperate to get back to driving and from that I deduce he was driving before he had the stroke.
I note that your husband is 78 years old and so he is already under the DVLA rules for drivers over the age of 70 which as I understand it is along the lines shown below:
" The new DVLA rules for elderly drivers, especially those over 70, include a mandatory three-year renewal of their driving license, along with the need to declare any medical conditions and confirm they meet eyesight requirements. While thereās no upper age limit to driving, the DVLA requires a renewal every three years after turning 70. Additionally, drivers over 70 may be required to take regular eyesight tests."
Given the above, and given your husband is in relatively early stages of recovery and āgets fatigued very fastā, I wonder how safe it would be for him to go out on the road behind the wheels of what is potentially a very dangerous piece of equipment. As well as himself, there is the safety of fellow passengers and also other road users.
That said, and as I understand it from information gathered whilst following posts from other [equally frustrated] stroke survivors, the DVLA has a rigorous process in place to ensure that licences are only issued to those drivers deemed to be capable of being in full control of the vehicle.
This will not necessarily help you or your husband, but I have had to give up driving due to it becoming economically unviable for me. I have adapted to using other means of transport and whilst not ideal, I think you may wish to explore use of taxis, dial-a-ride or other volunteer driver services that may be available to you.
I wish you and your husband all the best and I am sure the right decision will be made.
Hi
Im sorry to hear about your driving assessment experience.
My husband has also just failed his assessment which was granted under the exceptional circumstances conditions. ( waited 2 yrs for it) He is unable to pass the visiual field test due to the deficits from his strokes.
Unlike you my husband was given a PDAL licence, he had 17 hours of tuition prior to the assessment. Both him and his driving instructor felt confident that the driving part of the assessment would go well. The driving instructor told him heād never been more confident in his 35 yrs as an instructor that he would sail through.
My husband was told to wait in the waiting room for what felt like a lifetime whilst the ADI and OT discussed the assessment. They then gave him the feedback, which was that they wouldnāt be recommending him to drive, as they feel his visual deficits make him vulnerable on the road.
I could go on about how the feedback doesnāt match the decision, but what I am really focused on now is appealing the decision.
I donāt know any one who has successfully appealed the DVLA decision. I understand that in order to appeal you have to contact the local magistrates court, and there could be more costs involved.
If you know any more information, id love to hear from you, about how youve proceeded and the process itself.
Many thanks
[quote=āKellystableford, post:25, topic:17282, full:trueā]
Hi
Im sorry to hear about your driving assessment experience.
My husband has also just failed his assessment which was granted under the exceptional circumstances conditions. ( waited 2 yrs for it) He is unable to pass the visiual field test due to the deficits from his strokes.
Unlike you my husband was given a PDAL licence, he had 17 hours of tuition prior to the assessment. Both him and his driving instructor felt confident that the driving part of the assessment would go well. The driving instructor told him heād never been more confident in his 35 yrs as an instructor that he would sail through.
My husband was told to wait in the waiting room for what felt like a lifetime whilst the ADI and OT discussed the assessment. They then gave him the feedback, which was that they wouldnāt be recommending him to drive, as they feel his visual deficits make him vulnerable on the road.
I could go on about how the feedback doesnāt match the decision, but what I am really focused on now is appealing the decision.
I donāt know any one who has successfully appealed the DVLA decision. I understand that in order to appeal you have to contact the local magistrates court, and there could be more costs involved.
If you know any more information, id love to hear from you, about how youve proceeded and the process itself.
Many thanks
Hi @Kellystableford , Iām sorry you are in this position, I have hemonopia and had my licence revoked but have been told I qualify for exceptional cases, after my stroke in 2020 I havenāt got the courage to start the process through fear of being told no. I spoke to the DVLA about this very situation in case they said no to me in the assessment, but they said I could try again as many times as I liked, but in reality Iām not sure this is the case. What did the assessment centre say , can you try again? Iām sorry they said no, it must be very upsetting
Thank you for your e mail.
My understanding after failing the assessment is that you can apply again if you have new medical evidence to show a change from any original documentation you send to the medical team. ( We donāt have this, since its a fixed brain injury, and my husband will unlikely ever pass a visual field test)
You can also appeal the DVLA decision, but that involves magistrates courts with added cost. Another battle to face! I am unable to find anyone who has successfully taken this on and won.
@Kellystableford itās a bit misleading from my experience being told you would get another chance if you fail but they didnāt say you would have to appeal through courts etc..to get another chance, I have left it 4 years as Iām worried they will say no to me, still havenāt got the courage to do it. I hope it all works out hopefully there is someone who can offer some advice here let us know what happens
I have just had my licence restored also with exceptional circumstances, i had an assessment which did take over 2 hours but i found it ok and thankfully passed ,it took me a lot of work with the DVLA and a lot of chasing over many,many months but worth it in the end,good luck
