Doctors told they must report unfit drivers to the DVLA

[Dragon]

Previously they were advised only to consider whether they should tell the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency if they believed a motorist was potentially dangerous.
But draft guidance published by the General Medical Council makes it mandatory for doctors to report any motorist to the DVLA if they fear they could cause a crash because of poor eyesight or could be at risk of suffering a fit or a heart attack.
The move is not just to protect the public from accidents, however, but also to save doctors from being sued for negligence if a patient who should not have been allowed on the road crashes their car.
It comes amid growing concern about the number of elderly drivers in Britain.
Pensioners are said to be just as dangerous on the roads as teenagers who have just passed their driving tests, because they have slower reaction times and take longer to spot hazards, with some statistics showing that those over 80 cause more collisions than any other age group.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...ey-must-report-unfit-drivers-to-the-DVLA.html

 

[chrispy]

I had a mild heart attack years ago and nothing was said to the DVLA by the hospital. I packed in my HGV job then and went to work with my wife in her laundry business. Now I surf the internet all day and i'm bored silly. I miss driving my artic

 

[Seamster15]

Would this stop you going to the doctors ?

 

[Dieselman]

Would this stop you going to the doctors ?

Hey, I've got these terrible pains in my chest or I'm going blind due to that funny lump pressing on my eyeball, but guess what, I'm going to tough this one out just in case my Doc tells the DVLA.

What do you think.?

 

[st4]

Hey, I've got these terrible pains in my chest or I'm going blind due to that funny lump pressing on my eyeball, but guess what, I'm going to tough this one out just in case my Doc tells the DVLA.

What do you think.?

I might tough it out :bannana:

 

[AndyS]

Hey, I've got these terrible pains in my chest or I'm going blind due to that funny lump pressing on my eyeball, but guess what, I'm going to tough this one out just in case my Doc tells the DVLA.

What do you think.?

Sounds like you just need some ointment - you'll be right as rain in no time! :bannana:

 

[219]

Hmmmm , this raises an interesting legal question re doctor/patient confidentiality .

Suppose doctor informs DVLA , against patient's wishes , that patient may be at risk of coronary or whatever . Patient loses licence then loses job which depended on it . No heart attack takes place .

Patient sues doctor for loss of earnings ...........

 

[robert.saunders]

Welcome back Pontoneer; you surely have the largest signature in the world

 

[pammy]

Welcome back Pontoneer; you surely have the largest signature in the world

Just what I was thinking!!! It's enormous!

 

[robert.saunders]

aaah I see edited

 

[glojo]

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. No doubt we have the Big Brother, PC brigade that value the rights of the individual but I will always maintain the rights of the innocent must supersede the rights of the guilty.

If a driver goes to the doctors and admits to blacking out regularly and is told to stop driving forthwith then I believe the doctor has a duty to inform the DVLA. I might sound cruel but lets suppose two months later this person blacks out and ploughs through a class of school children who just happen to be walking along the footpath. I'm sure some folks will say that is life, but it is NOT it is murder and I would hate to be the doctor that had seen this person and not reported them.

There are strict rules for certain professions and if they get arrested the police are required to report them to their governing body. If this is acceptable then so should reporting the medically unfit.

Old folks might not be the best of drivers but insurance premiums never lie

Pensioners are said to be just as dangerous on the roads as teenagers who have just passed their driving tests, because they have slower reaction times and take longer to spot hazards, with some statistics showing that those over 80 cause more collisions than any other age group.

I had a visitor today, the gentleman was 82 years old and I was amazed when he told me he had rode here on his motor bike. He still works and helps out when required driving a delivery van!!! 82 years old....... Absolutely amazing.

The crazy thing is that until very recently the company he works for insisted that he take a yearly medical before they would allow him to drive one of their vehicles. BUT....... because of our wonderful PC legislation they had to stop doing this as it was discrimination!!! He enjoyed having the medical because it was reassuring to know nothing was about to drop off. The world has gone mad.

82 years old, still rides a motor bike and has just purchased a brand new car. Respect.

Before we go daft criticising him,
I gave him two very powerful small magnets to look at, he managed to prise them apart but one fell out of his hand. He was stood by my bedside and I watched as he caught this falling magnet. His reaction was impressive to say the least.

This mad country has all sorts of 'ism' laws and if we want to impose age-ism then the gloves must come off and we do away with all the other sex or race laws.

I personally would not have an issue with medicals for the elderly but what is old? 60, 70 or 80? I would also suggest we impose temperament tests for the under 25 male!!! They usually have the ability to talk a better fight compared to actually driving it (Insurance premiums never lie)

John

 

[Dieselman]

Suppose doctor informs DVLA , against patient's wishes , that patient may be at risk of coronary or whatever . Patient loses licence then loses job which depended on it . No heart attack takes place .

I doubt a Dr could inform DVLA of a condition unless it fell into clearly defined ones already covered by Licencing regulation. I can't see heart desease falling into that catagory.
This is to cover such things as failing eyesight, which a driver is already obliged to declare.

 

[Swiss Toni]

There are strict rules for certain professions and if they get arrested the police are required to report them to their governing body. If this is acceptable then so should reporting the medically unfit.

I see these as VERY different issues.

Personal privacy vs community safety.

Police reporting arrests is about integrity, not the private, medical state of the individual.

I -reluctantly- find myself agreeing with Max Mosely, that if it is legal, what right do the press have in splashing private activities across the front pages? I guess there are moral and hypocracy issues, but I suspect that selling papers with sensationalism is closer to the truth.

Doctors will tell the Police nothing about a patient unless they are legally obliged to (and I fully agree with this). Anything that makes a patient question whether they should see their Dr has to be very carefully balanced (in a similar way to legal privilage) and should not be relinquished lightly.

If I have a coke habit and I voluntarily "put my hands up" and seek help, it is my firms policy to support me in any way it can (inc financial, medical etc), but if they find out before I "come clean" then I can expect to be treated very differently - almost certainly lose my job.

But then I don't want a half-blind 50 year old driving down the road towards me any more than I want a half-blind 20 year old doing so.

 

[glojo]

Anything that makes a patient question whether they should see their Dr has to be very carefully balanced (in a similar way to legal privilage) and should not be relinquished lightly.

I totally agree,
It has to be carefully balanced and that is the dilemma. What does anyone define as carefully balanced. should we report the driver that regularly has black-outs? Should we report the driver that has extremely poor eye sight?

If you are defending a burglar and they tell you they are innocent of stealing a radio as at the time they were committing a bank robbery in which an old lady was killed then would you maintain that this was privileged information and you would not pass it on to the relevant authorities?

John

 

[Swiss Toni]

Should we report the driver that regularly has black-outs? Should we report the driver that has extremely poor eye sight?

I am aware of a daughter who reported her father to Crimestoppers because of his failing eyesight (and it caused her great angst to do so).

He happened to be stopped the following week and the officer tested his sight...

...he wasn't prosecuted, but he did lose his licence.

One member of this forum has already stated they would not assist in the prosecution of a motorist.
I believe a Driving Licence is a privilage, not a right.

 

[glojo]

Hmmmm , this raises an interesting legal question re doctor/patient confidentiality .

Suppose doctor informs DVLA , against patient's wishes , that patient may be at risk of coronary or whatever . Patient loses licence then loses job which depended on it . No heart attack takes place .

Patient sues doctor for loss of earnings ...........

Aren't there certain rules regarding heart conditions? If the patient falls outside of those categories and there is no imminent risk then the doctor would surely be way out of order. I'm with Swiss Toni on this issue and I'm sure doctors have better things to do than worry about the what if's.

If the patient's condition however was so bad that the doctor tells the patient he is medically unfit to drive and two weeks later this same doctor sees this person driving a fully laden school bus then what would you expect the doctor to do?

John

 

[glojo]

I believe a Driving Licence is a privilage, not a right.

Part one of my question answered

Regards
John