confused_uk

I move to rural NS in a couple of weeks so need to be able to drive. I haven't driven in the UK for 10-15 years because I hate driving so never bothered keeping my license details (name/address) up to date.


I decided to send off for a name change as I'm obviously going to need to swap it for a NS license & I noticed I am supposed to declare if I've ever had a seizure. I had one about 3 years ago brought on by a traumatic injury & the doctor told me not to drive & referred me to a specialist (making a mountain out of a molehill in my opinion), after trying to book this appointment & keep being told there's none available for about 3 months I gave up. I didn't know I was supposed have reported this to the DVLA until this week.


My problem now is that I have no time to rectify this. If I declare it, it will probably mean getting a GP appointment (no chance in the time I have left) & she will probably insist on me seeing a specialist before she signs anything off. You can get your license back if you have been seizure free for a year (which I obviously have) so this is all down to bureaucracy at this point.


Should I just forget about it as I have no intention of driving in this country again anyway? What happens on the NS side, am I supposed to declare it there? If I do will it then be a problem that I didn't tell DVLA? Should I not declare in NS, will they have access to my UK medical record if say I had an accident?


I'm in a bit of a catch 22 & wouldn't mind hearing what others would do in this situation


Thanks

Almost Canadian

I suspect that you know what you need to do.

In Alberta, one has to declare any medical conditions that affect one's ability to drive each time one applies for a licence (initial application and renewals). I am a diabetic and this requires me to obtain a medical from my doctor ($$) and then run the debacle of seeing how long I will be given until my next renewal. Regular drivers get 5 years. I have been given anything from 2 to 5 years. The medical report is interpreted by a government bureaucrat and they decide how long to give me. Each time, the medical reports have been identical.

Gozit

I suppose you could ignore the lot and just start over in NS, but the NS license requirements for those starting afresh look pretty eeeeeeeekkk to me https://www.novascotia.ca/sns/rmv/licence/gradlic.asp

Also the legality of just not declaring it is questionable.

I would recommend trying to get an emergency appt with your GP and rectify your UK licensing situation so you can just swap in NS. That sounds way easier than getting a new NS license.

confused_uk

I know what I am required to do I just don't have the time to do it. If I had known about it 3 years ago I would have rectified it then.


I also already sent of my name change form without checking the yes box on the medical declaration though I suppose I can always fess up & say I hadn't read it properly if I decide to declare.

confused_uk

I don't fancy going through all that again, took me long enough to get it first time round


My GP is pants, it takes 2 days just to get through on the phone, then you are lucky to get an appointment within 3 weeks, & they will only give you an emergency appointment if it's an urgent medical problem. Last time I saw her she asked me to leave because she was tired & her next patient is dying, I pretty sure she is not going to give two hoots about whether I can drive or not.

sharkus

Were you not told when you had the seizure that you should not drive? I've had a couple of friends both in the UK and here told this when they had seizures.

Did you only really think about updating this stuff with a very short amount of time? Ignoring the medical side of things, getting a licence updated could take a few weeks, so it should be one of the big things, in my opinion, on the list of "things to sort as soon as possible"

As for an actual answer, yes, you should have declared this on the name change / renewal, and yes, you should have got an appointment to support you have not had a seizure in X years and sent that as supporting evidence.

You can indeed "fess up" but it is possible they will see this no different as you blatantly lying about it, which one could say you have, and as such, they could decline to renew without the medical evidence you are clear.

As pointed out by others, getting a new licence out here would require going through the graduated licence process, which appears to be a serious pain in comparison to the test in the UK. Wether you decide to declare when over here is up to you, but personally I'd tell them, however, you would then need to prove you're ok to drive, which could be tricky as you're in a new country.

Harsh? oh quite possibly.

Engineer_abroad

As others and you have said you know what you should do/have done. Even if you get your UK license you will probably be asked to sign/state that you have never been advised not to drive. At this point you would ever need to fess up or lie.

The danger with lying would be that if you have a crash at any point in the future the failure to declare that you were previously told by your GP (who would of made a note of it in your medical records) not to drive could a) invalidate any auto insurance you hold (who presumably will ask the question if you have ever been advised not to drive) and b) lead to criminal charges by the police.

I had a blackout incident a few years ago and was told by the GP not to drive till I had the OK from both a cardiologist and neurologist. Luckily I had private medical insurance through my employer so it got sorted in a few weeks.

confused_uk

Harsh? No, I know I've not exactly helped the situation I'm in, I appreciate your honesty

Almost Canadian

Irrespective of what you decide to do about your current licence, you will face the declaration hurdle when you either try to swap your licence in NS, or if you decide to use the graduated licence scheme in NS.

confused_uk

I won't be driving in the UK though, can Canada have access to UK medical records?

confused_uk

So you are saying that if I declare it in NS I really need the evidence from my Dr anyway.


So I have two choices then declare it in both countries & hope I can get necessary appointments sorted in two weeks & being screwed if I can't.


or


Say nothing & pretend it didn't happen

confused_uk

As someone who has gone through the process do you think the GP has the power to sign you off as fit to drive or do they have to send you to specialists? So much time has gone now without another incident maybe my GP won't see the need for it.

Almost Canadian

I have no idea what happens in NS. When I first arrived in Calgary, I attended a registry to swap my licence. When I answered the medical issues question truthfully, they said that I would need to obtain a medical before they could issue a licence. I attended a walk-in clinic (as I didn't have a GP in Calgary at the time) and the Dr completed the examination and gave me the report which I then took to the registry.

I suggest that you do whatever you feel comfortable doing.

HGerchikov

There's always something isn't there? Comes at you just when you think you are all set. I don't want to add to your worries but did they ask anything about seizures when you took your medical to come here? If they did (and I can't remember if that is a question or not) you might want to factor whatever you answered into what you plan to do now.

Photoplex

I wouldn't ignore the issue. If you're involved in an accident here, and the (ruthless) insurance companies dig around, you could be in a world of merde.

I would suggest either a) paying to see a specialist privately ASAP in the UK or b) truthfully answering the question here when you trade the license, and getting it resolved here.