Poor health leads to record licence losses
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By Ashleigh Wight
THE NUMBER of LGV drivers who had their licences revoked over the past year for health, sight, alcohol and drug problems has hit a record high, the DVLA has revealed.
A total of 4,706 LGV drivers lost their licences, a 40% increase on the previous year’s figures, after they failed a compulsory DVLA medical examination for LGV drivers aged over 45.
Of the drivers who failed, 707 had sight problems: 31 could see out of only one eye and 10 experienced double vision. There was also a high number of drivers who lost their licence for driving under the influence, with 261 misusing alcohol and 62 losing their licence as a result of drug abuse. Other causes included high blood pressure, depression and deafness.
Road safety minister Stephen Hammond said: “All drivers must meet certain minimum medical standards to protect the driver and other road users, given the likely additional distance and time spent on the road.” Gareth Wells was one of the drivers who had his licence revoked following a cancerous tumour, which cost him his sight in one eye. Despite successful surgery to save his vision, the DVLA took away his licence when he failed a sight test after reporting his condition to them.
Wells is now using his industry knowledge to provide Driver CPC training courses for Driver Hire Birmingham, an agency that provides temporary and permanent work for drivers, which he was part of before his illness.
“I hadn’t really appreciated how important regular sight checks are – not just for helping your vision, but in picking up other potential health problems,” said Wells, who had held his LGV licence for 20 years.