Medical Conditions

If you currently suffer from any of the following medical conditions you must tell DVA. To do so, complete a DL1, tick the appropriate box on the health section and return the form to:

Drivers Medical Section

DVA

Coleraine County Hall

Castlerock Road

Waterside

Coleraine

BT51 3TB.

Diabetes

For further information on diabetes, please use the link below:

• A guide for car or motorcycle drivers with diabetes treated by tablets, diet or both

Heart conditions

• angina (heart pain) brought on by driving;
• implanted pacemaker;
• disturbance of heart rhythm significant to cause dizziness, collapse or loss of consciousness;
• any other heart condition; and
• defibrillator (ICD) implanted.

For further information on heart conditions, please use the link below:

• A guide for drivers with heart conditions

Neurological conditions

• stroke;
• mini stroke;
• cerebral thrombosis;
• amaurosis fugax; and
• brain surgery, brain tumour, severe head injury.

For further information on these neurological conditions, please use the link below:

• A guide for drivers after a stroke, cerebral thrombosis, amaurosis

Other neurological conditions

• serious memory problems or episodes of confusion;
• chronic neurological conditions (for example multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease);
• fits or blackouts;
• severe and recurrent disabling giddiness;
• Parkinson's disease;
• epilepsy (Please note if you suffer from epilepsy and want to drive lorries or buses you must not have suffered a fit of any kind, or required treatment for fits in the last 10 years);
• sleep disorders or conditions which cause excessive daytime or awake time sleepiness;
• sleep apnoea syndrome;
• narcolepsy or cataplexy; and
• any other condition which causes excessive daytime or awake time sleepiness.

Vision problems

• any visual condition which affects both eyes (not including short or long sight or colour blindness); or
• any visual condition which affects remaining eye, if sight in one eye only (not including short or long sight or colour blindness).

Alcohol and drugs

If you are disqualified for some alcohol related offences, DVA will make medical enquiries before your driving licence can be renewed.

These offences are:

• disqualified with an alcohol level of over: 200mg in 100ml of blood, or 87.5ug in 100ml of breath; or 267.5mg in 100ml of urine;
• disqualified twice in 10 years for certain alcohol related offences;
• disqualified for failing or refusing to give a specimen (blood, breath or urine) for testing;
• dependence on or misuse of alcohol in the past three years; and
• dependence on or misuse of drugs in the past three years.

Psychiatric conditions

• any mental ill-health condition (including depression);
• any psychiatric illness requiring hospital admission; and
• Alzheimer’s, cognitive impairment, dementia, memory problems.

Spinal injuries or limb problems

• severe spinal injuries;
• paraplegia;
• tetraplegia;
• amputations; and
• persistent limb problems.

If you require any further information about any of the above conditions, you can contact DVA on:

• phone: 0300 200 7861 (Monday to Friday from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm)