Hi Everyone,
I’m new here and now 2 weeks post stroke which thankfully was minor with only minor after effects. While I know we have to wait at least a month after a stroke or tia before driving again, I am a bit confused about the process of starting again. Do I need a doctor to say it’s okay to drive? Or can anyone do it? Getting a GP appointment round here to actually see you in person takes weeks for routine appointments. So while I’m not fully cooked yet maybe I should start the process now. 
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I don’t really know. I wasn’t really ready to drive until 3 months, but that’s me. I propose call the doctor and say him/her do I need anything more to drive past a month. It maybe an eye test (I had that).
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Thanks Matt. I have been lucky my side effects have been minimal and not had any problem with my eyes either. Some fatigue which I still have and my mobility is nearly back to normal and improving daily. So not expecting not being able to drive after a month if my improvement continues at the present rate. It was the processI am looking for advice with. Does it need a GP or can say a Practice Nurse give me the okay. I know they can only advise and the final decision has to rest with me. Which I know that even if a month had passed already I would not want to drive yet, but each day I get better so am hopeful to be out and about once again.
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Well, I took a whole year. Not the “yes, you can drive malarkey”, I was referred to the local testing for stroke team who then went out of business after 4 months. Luckily, I still had my new license because I’ll told them I’m ready to drive with adaptations (left accelerator/steering ball). So I’d drive with a learner assessor until they finally sort it out.
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There’s information here:
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Hi & welcome @bobb good to hear you are doing ok after your stroke. Have a look at this link re reporting medical conditions.
When I had my stroke I was told I couldn’t drive for 3 months and had to be cleared by DVLA before I could drive again. Were you told you had to be cleared by a dr before you can drive? I understood that if you had no lingering affects after a month you could start driving. At least when I tried to tell DVLA about my stroke in the first few weeks the site basically said they weren’t interested until a month had passed.
If you need clearance from a medical professional I think that needs to be your GP, Stroke Consultant or OT. If I was you I would book the GP appointment now then you won’t be delayed too much.
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I received a letter from the TIA clinic recently saying that I can drive again after 1 month so long as I have no enduring sight loss (the stroke was in my eye). Also clearly says that I don’t need a doctor again before I drive, however If there is still changes to my vision after 1 month then I need to contact DVLA.
I’m planning on having an eye test at the one month point as I know I’ve lost a lot of sight in my right eye but for anything beyond arms length my brain is compensating well. I’ll contact DVLA when I can tell them exactly how my vision has changed.
Even if I am able to drive again I think it will be short trips, in quiet areas and in daylight at first.
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I haven’t been told I need a GP or other health professional to say I can drive. All the consultant said when I left hospital after 48 hours was I couldn’t drive for a month. But no one said what I had to do at the end of a month.
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Hi @bobb
Welcome to the community, I’m sorry to hear about your stroke.
It sounds like your recovery is going well so far. We’ve got some information on our website about driving after stroke which you may find helpful to have a read of.
I hope you’ll find the Online Community helpful for your recovery. If you need anything whilst you’re using the Online Community, please don’t hesitate to tag me using the @ symbol and my username.
Anna
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Hi @Alfie12
I just wanted to welcome you to the community, I’m sorry to hear about your stroke and I hope your recovery is going well.
If you need anything whilst you’re using the Online Community, please don’t hesitate to tag me using the @ symbol and my username.
Anna
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Hi Alfie @Alfie12 - Welcome to the community.
Thank you for sharing your story with us. It seems you are doing well with your recovery from the stroke that affected your eye.
You are absolutely doing the right things wrt to how to proceed with life after stroke and especially going back on the road in your vehicle. Your plan seems very sensible and I wish you all the best.
Namaste|
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Hi @bobb - When it comes to anything like this, personally, I would want to be absolutely certain that
a) my health and safety is not compromised by my actions and
b) I am not at risk at being at fault (legal or other) through lack of information.
It is unfortunate the hospital consultant was not more precise with the information he gave you on discharging you from his care. I would want to be certain that my eyesight was OK before I got behind the wheel and if that meant seeing a GP or optician or whatever, I would do that.
Sometimes we don’t always get the information we need in a timely manner and learn through the hard way and after the event.
Just my thoughts, ultimately, the choice is yours and only yours 
Wishing you all the best .
Thanks everyone for the welcome and your advice. It is much appreciated. A lot of the advice is contradictory and a bit confusing. Even the SA advice is very ambiguous. It states “...It is your responsibility to ensure you are safe to drive…If a health professional such as a doctor, therapist or eye specialist thinks you are not safe to drive, you must stop driving and contact the DVLA...” That statement would suggest it was my choice to drive unless I’m told not to. 
But then later it goes on to say “…Before starting driving again after a stroke or TIA, you should consult a doctor or healthcare professional for individual advice about your stroke...”. (My emphasis). I’m guessing the word SHOULD is just advisory rather than mandatory, although I’m sure good advice.
In someways I have answered my own question. If you think you are okay to drive check with a health professional to make sure I’m okay. Which seems the sensible way to proceed.
Maybe it’s my stroke affected brain thinking that logically the second statement should come before the first. But maybe i’m not thinking straight.
Thanks everyone
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You are not alone in finding wording ambiguous! The DVLA stroke guidance also says “You must stop driving for at least 1 month. You can restart ONLY when your doctor or healthcare professional tells you it is safe.” (My emphasis).
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I don’t want to add to your confusion Alfie, but I seem to remember that my assessment for driving came in the form of a tick-box. My recall is hazy but i think it was my rehab team that instigated it for me. During my rehab my lovely physio chap introduced me very slowly back into the driving seat, From just sitting in the car to actually a very short drive down my street. He did tell me that it would be my own choice when I went out alone, but I didn’t for at least two months. Most trips were one way with hubby, either driving out or returning home. Once I felt confident, (and hubby also felt that I was safe) I did longer journeys. Fatigue also played a part, so I chose carefully which journey I drove. I then drove on my own, just short trips at first. Now I am able to drive confidently, but aware of the need to concentrate and fatigue. In all, you will know when you are ready. Welcome to our merry little band, hope you’ll enjoy your time with us. Best wishes Norma
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Hi, it’s not easy but you should tell the DVLA what’s happened, they are the ones who have to tell you when you can drive again, it’s a really serious criminal offence should you not tell them and then drive again. Once your specialist says you’re ok to drive and you are confident you agree then you can drive on a section 80 I think it is? This is just whilst waiting for DVLA to make to get reports in etc, Tell the DVLA that you want to go onto the S80 and they’ll send you a letter. This way it’s all legal and much quicker than waiting for your licence to be returned.
I hope this helps but it’s one of the slowest systems known to mankind, jut to get the DVLA and consultants to talk 
. Good luck 
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Hi @Alfie12 welcome to the community.
It sounds like you don’t need to contact DVLA then unless you have some ongoing issues. An eye test will be a good idea and they will be able to advise on anything that may be necessary. It could be that you just need stronger glasses and nothing else. Short trips initially will be a good idea too. I am 3 ½ years on and still find driving exhausting so limit my trips significantly and I tried nighttime driving and will be giving that a miss for a while longer as I found it far too difficult and didn’t feel safe. It sounds like you have everything in hand and got all the right things lined up to do.
Good luck with your first drive.
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Thanks Huggybear, but fortunately in my case I don’t need to get DVLA involved, so much simpler and didn’t have to surrender my licence. I do need to tell my car insurance but that’s it from a statutory point of view except the month driving ban. I’m lucky the stroke was minor.
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One thing it is worth finding out - do you need to inform your insurer and what do you say?
You don’t tell whether you use spectacles, whether you had an operation, when do you inform them and about what? Does what you tell them affect the premium?
I’m really pleased you only had a minor stroke and if you’ve checked on DVLA web site re if you need to report it or not and you don’t that’s great. I would let the insurance know but if it’s left no effects then hopefully it won’t affect your premium . Good luck
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