DRIVING AND MEDICINES – information for patients
Can I drive safely while on medication?
Most people on prescribed medication can drive safely and legally. You need to consider a couple of
things:
1. Your medical condition e.g. you shouldn’t be driving if you are severely anxious
2. The side effects your medication has on you e.g. if your medication makes you feel sleepy, it is
unsafe to drive
What is the legal position?
It is illegal to drive if your driving is impaired regardless of whether the medication you are taking is
prescribed or not (section 4 Road Traffic Act 1988).
It is an offense to drive if you have over the specified limits of certain drugs commonly associated with
illegal drug use in your blood e.g. cocaine and cannabis. The law also includes eight drugs commonly
associated with medicinal use but that are sometimes abused. They are:
Clonazepam, diazepam, flunitrazepam, lorazepam, oxazepam, and temazepam; morphine or opiate
and opioid-based drugs e.g. codeine, tramadol or fentanyl; and methadone
You can drive after taking these drugs if:
 You have been prescribed them and followed advice on how to take them by a healthcare professional
 They are not causing you to be unfit to drive even if you are above the specified limits
What should I do if I need to take any of the specified medicines?
 Take them exactly as prescribed
 Check the patient information leaflet that comes with your medication for information on how your
medicines may affect your driving ability
 Do not drive after taking your medicines until you know how they affect you
 Do not drive if you feel drowsy, dizzy, unable to concentrate or make decisions, or if you have blurred or
double vision
What will happen if I get stopped by the police?
The police may perform a roadside test to see if you have taken any of these drugs. If the test detects any
relevant drugs, or they suspect you to be under the influence of drugs, the type and level of the drugs in
your body can be confirmed by a blood test. If you are found to be over the limit but were taking your
medication as prescribed and were not impaired, a medical defence can be raised and you will not be
charged with a driving offence.
It is worth considering whether you need to drive at all. If you drive less than 2000 miles a year, evaluate
whether the added cost of tax, MOT, insurance, repairs, services and petrol is worth it; as it may be
cheaper to walk or use public transport.
What do I need to do if I want to drive?
You must check with the DVLA (in the UK) about your condition and follow their advice to make sure
your driving licence stays legal (see medical rules for driving below). This link lists most of the conditions
the DVLA must be told about (https://www.gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving)
You must then inform your motor insurance company of your condition. They will usually ask if you have
discussed this with the DVLA.
Medical rules for all drivers:
For the full story go to https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving and then go to "Driving with a disability or a
health condition”. There are documents on which health conditions need to be reported, how to tell the
DVLA, what happens next, renewing a licence and advice for GPs.
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How to tell the DVLA:
If you need to tell the DVLA about your condition and you already have a licence, you need to:
 Download the medical questionnaire from the DVLA website or call DVLA to ask them to post it to you.
 Fill out a form to give your consent for doctors from the DVLA to contact your doctor or a specialist.
You can either post, fax or email these forms back to:
Drivers Medical Enquiries, DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1TU
Tel: 0300 790 6806 or fax: 0845 850 0095
Email: [email protected]
Web www.direct.gov.uk/motoring
You should always allow DVLA to contact your doctor, as what your doctor says will help the DVLA decide
if you can keep your licence. Rarely, the DVLA may ask you to have a medical examination, which will be
free. This is called a medical enquiry.
What happens next?
If you give the DVLA all the information they need, they can usually sort things out within 15 days. If they
need more information from you, your doctor or other sources, they will try to sort it out within 90 days.
What they decide will also depend on what you're doing e.g. driving a bus is different to driving down to
the shops. What can happen includes:
 You may be able to keep your licence or be issued with a new one.
 If the DVLA's doctor thinks your fitness to drive needs to be reviewed later, you may be given a licence
valid for 1, 2 or 3 years.
 Your licence may be taken from you (revoked) or your application refused. This will only happen if you
do not meet the standards of fitness to drive at the moment. If this happens, you would be told the
reasons for the decision. You would also be told when you can apply again.
How can I help myself?
If you want to drive, take sensible steps to reduce any risk to yourself and others. These could include:
 Do not drive when you are tired or unwell
 Do not drive after having any alcohol as this can make any sleepiness worse (1 in 3 of all fatal road
 traffic incidents involve drivers who have been drinking alcohol)
 Do not drive at night, dusk or in bad weather
 Keep away from motorways, dual carriageways and the rush hour
 Take extra care driving close to home – over 1 in 4 accidents happen within a mile of home
 Give yourself plenty of time. Don’t rush
 Be extra careful if you have not slept well the previous night.
As some medicines can affect your driving, be extra careful:
 When starting a new medicine
 After a change in dose (especially an increase in dose)
 If you are on a high dose or seem very sensitive to side effects
 If you are taking any medicines for other symptoms e.g. antihistamines for hay fever or allergies
 If your medicine causes blurred vision, sleepiness, poor co-ordination, poor attention
The small print: This leaflet is to help you understand about driving and medicines. Some information was taken from the Choice
and Medication handy fact sheet: safe and legal driving for people with mental health problems
(http://www.choiceandmedication.org/oxfordhealth/pdf/handyfactsheetdrivingandmedication.pdf) and some from the Department for
Transport New Driving Rules leaflet (https://extranet.dft.gov.uk/think-downloads/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2015/01/15021310349-DfT-New-Drug-Driving-Rules-A5-Leaflet_DIGITAL-Amended.pdf).
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