The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency issued the message to all drivers in the UK
The DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) is warning drivers that they could be hit with a staggering £1,000 fine if they fail to do one simple task. In a message on their website, the government body warns that people high blood pressure may have to declare it – but only in certain circumstances.
Whilst high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, does not stop a person from driving, the experts explain that drivers who hold a car or motorcycle licence need to follow a set of rules. They state: “You do not need to tell DVLA if you have high blood pressure.”
However they add: “You must stop driving if a doctor says you have malignant hypertension.” This is a “sudden rise in your blood pressure, also known as accelerated hypertension.”
They stress that you are not allowed to drive until you receive medical clearance confirming that your condition is under control, noting: “You can drive again when a doctor confirms that your condition is well controlled.”
If you have a bus, coach or lorry licence, you also don’t need to tell the DVLA if your numbers are “consistently below 180/100mmHg” meaning “you can keep driving.”
However, you must stop driving and tell DVLA if either:
- your blood pressure is consistently above 180/100mmHg
- a doctor says you have malignant hypertension
“You can drive again when a doctor confirms that your condition is well controlled” motorists are being warned.
How to declare to the DVLA I have high blood pressure?
There’s a different way to tell DVLA depending on your condition. You must:
- fill in form BP1V if your blood pressure is consistently above 180/100mmHg (but you do not have malignant hypertension)
- fill in form VOCH1 if you have malignant hypertension
Send it to the address on the form.
Can I drive if I have low blood pressure?
No, you don’t need to inform the DVLA if you have low blood pressure. However, you must notify them if you have or develop a medical condition that could affect your ability to drive, such as dizziness or fainting.
Conditions that you need to declare to the DVLA- full list
They note: “You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving. You may be prosecuted if you’re involved in an accident as a result.”
The full list of conditions you need to tell the DVLA about are below. You can also view them via the GOV.UK website here.
A
Check the guidance on seizures and epilepsyCheck the guidance on acoustic neuromaCheck the guidance on Addison’s diseaseCheck the guidance on agoraphobiaCheck the guidance on alcohol problemsCheck the guidance on Alzheimers diseaseCheck the guidance on transient ischaemic attacks and mini-strokesCheck the guidance on amputationsCheck the guidance on motor neuron disease – also known as ALSCheck the guidance on anginaCheck the guidance on heart attacks and angioplastyCheck the guidance on ankylosing spondylitisCheck the guidance on eating disordersCheck the guidance on anxietyCheck the guidance on aortic aneurysmsCheck the guidance on arachnoid cystsCheck the guidance on arrhythmiasCheck the guidance on defibrillatorsCheck the guidance on arteriovenous malformationsCheck the guidance on arthritisCheck the guidance on autistic spectrum condition, including asperger syndromeCheck the guidance on ataxia, including Friedrich’s ataxiaCheck the guidance on ADHDCheck the guidance on autistic spectrum condition, including asperger syndrome
B
Check the guidance on balloon angioplasties in the legCheck the guidance on bipolar disorder – previously known as manic depressionCheck the guidance on blackouts and faintingCheck the guidance on eye conditionsCheck the guidance on blood clotsCheck the guidance on blood pressureCheck the guidance on brachial plexus injuriesCheck the guidance on brain abscesses, cysts or encephalitisCheck the guidance on brain aneurysmsCheck the guidance on angiomasCheck the guidance on brain haemorrhagesCheck the guidance on traumatic brain injuriesCheck the guidance on brain tumoursCheck the guidance on broken limbsCheck the guidance on Brugada syndromeCheck the guidance on burr hole surgery
C
Check the guidance on surgeryCheck the guidance on cancer (not including leukaemia)Check the guidance on eye conditionsCheck the guidance on catheter ablationsCheck the guidance on cardiac problemsCheck the guidance on carotid artery stenosisCheck the guidance on cataplexyCheck the guidance on cavernomasCheck the guidance on central venous thrombosisCheck the guidance on cerebral palsyCheck the guidance on Charcot-Marie-Tooth diseaseCheck the guidance on Chiari malformationCheck the guidance on chronic aortic dissectionCheck the guidance on cognitive problemsCheck the guidance on congenital heart diseaseCheck the guidance on fits, convulsions and seizuresCheck the guidance on coronary artery bypass or diseaseCheck the guidance on heart attacks and angioplastyCheck the guidance on eye conditionsCheck the guidance on cystic fibrosis
D
Check the guidance on deafnessCheck the guidance on defibrillatorsCheck the guidance on deja vuCheck the guidance on dementiaCheck the guidance on depressionCheck the guidance on diabetesCheck the guidance on dilated cardiomyopathyCheck the guidance on eye conditionsCheck the guidance on dizziness (including vertigo)Check the guidance on drug misuse
E
Check the guidance on eating disordersCheck the guidance on brain empyemasCheck the guidance on seizures and epilepsyCheck the guidance on essential tremorsCheck the guidance on eye conditions
F
Check the guidance on blackouts and faintingCheck the guidance on fits, convulsions and seizuresCheck the guidance on head injuriesCheck the guidance on ataxia, including Friedrich’s ataxia
G
Check the guidance on eye conditionsCheck the guidance on global amnesiaCheck the guidance on seizures and epilepsyCheck the guidance on Guillain Barré syndrome
H
Check the guidance on head injuriesCheck the guidance on heart attacks and angioplastyCheck the guidance on arrhythmiasCheck the guidance on heart failureCheck the guidance on heart murmursCheck the guidance on heart palpitationsCheck the guidance on heart valve disease or replacement valvesCheck the guidance on high blood pressureCheck the guidance on HIVCheck the guidance on Hodgkin’s lymphomaCheck the guidance on Huntington’s diseaseCheck the guidance on hydrocephalusCheck the guidance on high blood pressureCheck the guidance on hypertrophic cardiomyopathyCheck the guidance on hypoglycaemiaCheck the guidance on hypoxic brain damageCheck the guidance on surgery
I
Check the guidance on defibrillatorsCheck the guidance on intracerebral haemorrhagesCheck the guidance on ischaemic heart disease
K
Check the guidance on kidney dialysis (also known as renal dialysisCheck the guidance on kidney problemsCheck the guidance on Korsakoff’s syndrome
L
Check the guidance on labyrinthitisCheck the guidance on learning difficultiesCheck the guidance on left bundle branch blocksCheck the guidance on leukaemiaCheck the guidance on Lewy body dementiaCheck the guidance on limb disabilityCheck the guidance on Long QT syndromeCheck the guidance on monocular visionCheck the guidance on hypoglycaemiaCheck the guidance on lumboperitoneal shuntsCheck the guidance on lung cancerCheck the guidance on lymphoma
M
Check the guidance on eye conditionsCheck the guidance on brain tumoursCheck the guidance on malignant melanomaCheck the guidance on bipolar disorder – previously known as manic depressionCheck the guidance on Marfan’s syndromeCheck the guidance on medulloblastomasCheck the guidance on severe memory problemsCheck the guidance on meningiomaCheck the guidance on transient ischaemic attacks and mini-strokesCheck the guidance on monocular visionCheck the guidance on motor neurone diseaseCheck the guidance on multiple sclerosisCheck the guidance on muscular dystrophyCheck the guidance on myasthenia gravisCheck the guidance on heart attacks and angioplastyCheck the guidance on myoclonus
N
Check the guidance on narcolepsyCheck the guidance on eye conditions
O
Check the guidance on obsessive compulsive disorderCheck the guidance on excessive sleepinessCheck the guidance on eye conditionsCheck the guidance on eye conditions
P
Check the guidance on pacemakersCheck the guidance on heart palpitationsCheck the guidance on paranoiaCheck the guidance on paranoiaCheck the guidance on paraplegiaCheck the guidance on Parkinson’s diseaseCheck the guidance on peripheral arterial diseaseCheck the guidance on peripheral neuropathyCheck the guidance on personality disordersCheck the guidance on seizures and epilepsyCheck the guidance on pituitary tumoursCheck the guidance on PTSDCheck the guidance on psychosisCheck the guidance on psychotic depressionCheck the guidance on pulmonary arterial hypertension
R
Check the guidance on kidney dialysis (also known as renal dialysisCheck the guidance on transient ischaemic attacks and mini-strokesCheck the guidance on eye conditionsCheck the guidance on eye conditions
S
Check the guidance on schizo-affective disordersCheck the guidance on schizophreniaCheck the guidance on scotomaCheck the guidance on fits, convulsions and seizuresCheck the guidance on severe communication disordersCheck the guidance on severe depressionCheck the guidance on monocular visionCheck the guidance on excessive sleepinessCheck the guidance on excessive sleepinessCheck the guidance on spinal problemsCheck the guidance on strokesCheck the guidance on subarachnoid haemorrhagesCheck the guidance on surgeryCheck the guidance on blackouts and fainting
T
Check the guidance on tachycardiaCheck the guidance on seizures and epilepsyCheck the guidance on seizures and epilepsyCheck the guidance on Tourette’s syndromeCheck the guidance on global amnesiaCheck the guidance on transient ischaemic attacks and mini-strokesCheck the guidance on eye conditions
U
Check the guidance on Usher syndrome
V
Check the guidance on heart valve disease or replacement valvesCheck the guidance on defibrillatorsCheck the guidance on dizziness (including vertigo)Check the guidance on monocular visionCheck the guidance on eye conditionsCheck the guidance on eye conditionsCheck the guidance on VP shunts
W
Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome