Driving and the DVLA

The legal position

If you hold a UK driving licence and are diagnosed with dementia, you have a legal duty to inform the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, or DVA in Northern Ireland) and your motor insurer. The relevant law is the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Driver's Medical conditions guidance. Failure to notify can lead to a fine of up to £1,000 and may invalidate your insurance.

Mild Cognitive Impairment does not require automatic notification, but if it is significantly affecting your driving, you should notify and the same process applies. A diagnosis of Delirium, severe depression with cognitive impairment, or any significant neurological event also requires notification.

How to notify the DVLA

The standard process:

1. Complete form CG1 (in England, Wales and Scotland) or the equivalent in Northern Ireland;
2. Submit to the DVLA at Swansea (DVA at Coleraine in NI);
3. The DVLA contacts your GP and, where relevant, your memory clinic for a medical report;
4. A decision is made: full licence retained, restricted licence (often a one- or three-year medical review), or licence revoked.

The DVLA processes most cases within 6 to 12 weeks. While the application is being processed, you can usually continue to drive (under Section 88 of the Road Traffic Act 1988), provided your doctor has not advised against it, you have notified the DVLA, and you have not been refused on medical grounds in the last three years.

Notifying your insurer

Insurers must also be notified. A dementia diagnosis is a material fact that affects the policy. Most insurers continue cover, sometimes with adjustment. Refusing to declare the diagnosis invalidates the policy, which means an accident, however minor, may not be covered. Specialist insurers (such as Saga and Age Co) cover older drivers with medical conditions explicitly.

How the DVLA decides

The DVLA considers:

• The type and severity of dementia;
• The medical report from your GP and memory clinic;
• Any reported incidents, near-misses or convictions;
• Cognitive features that affect driving: attention, judgment, reaction time, visuospatial skill, navigation;
• Other relevant conditions (epilepsy, stroke, significant cardiac disease, vision problems);
• Where uncertainty remains, a practical driving assessment.

The practical driving assessment

Where the DVLA wants more information, a practical driving assessment may be arranged. Assessments are conducted by Driving Mobility (formerly Forum of Mobility Centres) at 20 accredited centres across the UK. The assessment includes:

• A medical and driving history;
• A cognitive screening test focused on driving-relevant abilities;
• A reaction time assessment;
• A vision check;
• An on-road drive in a dual-controlled vehicle with a driving instructor and an occupational therapist.

The assessment lasts around 2 to 3 hours and costs around £100 to £150 (often free or subsidised on referral from the DVLA, the NHS or insurance). Outcomes are: fit to drive without restriction; fit to drive with conditions (vehicle adaptations, restricted area); or unfit to drive.

When the licence is revoked

If the DVLA revokes the licence, the legal duty to stop driving is immediate. The licence must be surrendered. Insurance ceases to be valid.

Surrendering a licence is one of the harder moments of dementia caring. It often represents a loss of independence, identity and routine that goes beyond the practical inconvenience. Practical steps that help:

• Plan alternative transport: family lifts, community transport schemes, taxis, bus passes (the Older Person's Bus Pass is free for over-66s in England, with similar schemes elsewhere), the Disabled Persons Railcard;
• Consider Motability if the person remains a passenger requiring transport;
• Plan how shopping, appointments, social activities and emergencies will be covered;
• Acknowledge the emotional loss, not just the logistic one.

The voluntary surrender route

Many people choose to stop driving voluntarily, on their own assessment or after a family conversation, without going through the DVLA assessment. Voluntary surrender preserves dignity and timing. The licence can be surrendered to the DVLA by post; entitlement is preserved should the person ever wish to apply for reinstatement (in practice rare).

Recognising when it is time to stop

Some signs that driving is no longer safe:

• Recent at-fault collisions or near-misses;
• New scratches, dents or kerb damage to the car;
• Getting lost on familiar routes;
• Hesitation at junctions or roundabouts;
• Becoming flustered in traffic;
• Family members no longer feeling safe as passengers;
• Visual difficulties, slowed reactions or significant medication side effects.

If you or a family member is uncertain, a Driving Mobility assessment provides an objective answer and is often welcomed precisely because it removes the family from the decision.

Family conversations

The conversation about stopping is hard. Some tips that families consistently find useful:

• Bring it up early, before crisis, as part of planning;
• Talk about safety, not just legality;
• Acknowledge the loss, do not minimise it;
• Have a concrete plan for alternative transport before raising the topic;
• Use the medical professional as the third party where useful;
• Consider a Driving Mobility assessment as an objective arbiter.

Insurance, group transport and Motability

• Insurance: declare and stay covered; some specialist insurers cover dementia routinely;
• Older Person's Bus Pass: free local bus travel in most of the UK from age 60 or 66, depending on region;
• Disabled Persons Railcard: a third off rail fares;
• Motability: a vehicle scheme for people receiving certain disability benefits, the vehicle is driven by a family carer or paid carer;
• Community transport schemes: often run by local councils or Age UK; door-to-door for medical appointments and shopping;
• Volunteer driver schemes: in many areas, sometimes through faith communities or charities.

Where to find help

For DVLA information, GOV.UK has the current forms and rules. The Alzheimer's Society publishes a clear guide on dementia and driving. The Driving Mobility website lists accredited assessment centres. Your GP and memory clinic can advise on the medical side. The Dementia Service can provide a structured assessment letter that documents capacity and cognition for the DVLA process.