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Wonder if the "Human Rights Act" could be used in defence of this case.
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Many thanks for all the helpful suggestions and feedback. The fact that, for existing drivers, normal vision in one eye may be sufficient to allow them to carry on driving may be something we can build on.
I will discuss some of these points with him and these may give him a bit of a boost and a bit of hope to cling on to.
Grateful thanks again.
BobM
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Since you do not have a right to drive a car, the Human Rights Act does not apply.
Andy
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Having had the onerous task of having to persuade several drivers( in consultation with their families) that it is in thir interests to accept that age/infirmity has finally taken its toll I know how your FIL must be feeling.
A car is a means of independence for us all and to have that taken away means the losing of that independence and can be difficult to come to terms with particularly when mobility becomes increasingly difficult.
It is my experience that the DVLA do not treat the withdrawl of a licence lightly and their Medical Unit undertake thorough enquiries into a drivers suitability.
Old age in itself is not a disability it is the consequences ie poor reactions, degraded faculties etc.
Elderly and infirm drivers find it difficult to accept that they are no longer capable of continuing something they have done for a lifetime. Their journeys tend to be regular short trips which they have undertaken many times and feel comfortable with. However when their routine is is disrupted matters can quickly get out of hand. They certainly would not be capable of undertaking anymore than a familiar journey. But then they do not have to.
Ask yourself this. Do you feel comfortable being driven by your FIL and do you consider that he is not a danger to other members of the public. If the answer is yes then take the advice given. If the answer is no then you have to support the authorities.
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I lost my father last year after a long illness, the latter stages of which involved a substantial cocktail of drugs. In his last 6 months we made numerous attempts to get him to accept that he was no longer safe as a driver, supported by his GP. We even hid the car keys, but he subsequently found them.
Only in the last few weeks before he moved to a hospice did we manage to keep him away from the car.
6 weeks after his death the medical unit of the DVLA wrote to say that they were still deciding whether to revoke his licence.
I have to agree with Full Chat on this one. If you feel safe when you FIL is at the wheel, give him every support in retaining his licence. It can have a terrible impact on moral to lose this independence. If, however, you do not feel comfortable as a passenger you will need to find ways of helping him cope with this change.
Sorry I can't be more helpful
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Thanks once more to everyone who has responded, both positively and pragmatically.
Some of the comments have persuaded him to go and have another eye test (late afternoon appointment in accordance with one of the suggestions made). We have been telling him ever since he received the letter from DVLA that he should get a second opinion and at least the feedback from this thread has persuaded him to do that. Obviously if this confirms the negative outcome then we will all find it easier to acceptI myself will feel a little more reassured.
In relation to his driving he has driven over 24k miles in just over two years; he does feel concerned about driving in darkness but never goes out at night anyway. Having driven as a passenger with him in the last couple of months I felt more than happy with his driving.
By comparison my father still drives even though he has only limited feeling in his feet; he once missed a junction because he could not sense the brake properly and so bought an automatic because of its larger brake pedal. Having been out with him recently I felt far less safe, even at his snail pace progress, than I did with my father in law.
It seems that you lose out through being honest!
Thanks again.
BobM
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To follow up on this topic I am delighted to be able to report that, following a further sight test, FIL has now been sent an application form from DVLA to reapply for the Licence. They also sent a letter saying that he would be legally able to drive as soon as they had received his application and fee. Needless to say he filled it in and sent it off within a couple of hours of receiving it.
I would just like to place on record my (and his) thanks for the helpful suggestions made in response to my original posting. In particular the posting by Phil recommending him to book an eye test as late as possible in the day really gave him the impetus to get things moving. He managed to get an appointment for 4pm in the afternoon and ended up with results which were virtually identical to those in his test last year. It was these results which caused DVLA to have a change of heart.
Once again grateful thanks to everyone. A real success story for this board!
Brambob
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The pleasure is all ours Brambob. A good result for your FIL.
Happy Motoring Phil I
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I take this on board, but I have a question.
I'm in the 'glaucoma risk' group, due to my grandmother suffering from it and my father on the borderline - may I please ask why a different time of day affects results?
Thanks for any answers,
HF
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HF I really do not know the sciencee behind this. I found out from my local optician about 3 years ago (I have yearly test) .She said at the end of the examination that the pressures in the left eye were very borderline. (what of I did not enquire) . She then said
"make another appointment for tomorrow but after 3.30pm as earlier in the day the results are very often misleading. Did that and she then told me that everything was copacetic. (had to go back home and look that up in dictionary.
Hows battle with BSgoing ? drop me email if u like.
Happy Motoring Phil I
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Phil I -
thanks for that -'copacetic' isn't even in my dictionary! So the mystery continues......
Battle still the same - as in banging head against brick wall, and still real possibility of losing home - but I'm really grateful for your continued interest - thanks.
Thanks for the offer of email - maybe I will do that.
Take care,
HF
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