I had to relinquish my driving licence in 2021 following a minor stroke. I received a clean bill of health from neurologists in March last year and the DVLA was notified. It wasn’t until December I was told I needed an eye test. The DVLA insisted I attend Specsavers several miles from my home. I am a wheelchair user, and arrived to find the testing equipment was inaccessible. A branch in another part of the city was recommended and, with difficulty, I had the test. But the results were inconclusive, and the DVLA wanted me to attend a Harley Street specialist. This time I rang beforehand. They didn’t have wheelchair access.
The DVLA then came up with the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, but it said I would need a referral from a GP. I was then sent to back to Harley Street, which I couldn’t access. Each time I have to spend nearly an hour on hold waiting to speak to the DVLA, knowing it will get me no nearer having my driving licence returned.
RBB, London
The DVLA should have known you had a disability because your licence has restrictions, as you drive an adapted vehicle. It certainly knew of your requirements after the first failed appointment, but still sent you on a wild goose chase. As for the nine-month delay in requesting the test, it admitted in November that 168,000 medical driving licence applications had stacked up following lockdown, but says the backlog has cleared. It did not comment on why you were repeatedly sent to inaccessible venues, but says you have now been called. And, indeed, nearly 12 months after your application, you finally received your licence.
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