Jerseygirl

Please do not ask our members to condone and encourage you to break the law...as its against our Site Rules ( #2). Thanks.

I think you know very well what you should do...

Shirtback

Good "catch", good point.

Yup.

not2old

Hard nosed is me on this one, for the reason it happened to one of my family members that was injured by someone who shouldn't have been driving due to a medical condition.

OP, it really is quite simple & I know you have your own answer, after all you have not driven in the UK for longest while for whatever real reason you did not do so.

Should you successfully by falsifying in getting a NS drivers licence without declaring the past medical problem - then, God forbid, 'what-if' you have a relapse of the condition that renders an accident in which you and/or the victim are injured or killed... then what?

If you or anyone knowingly falsified getting a licence that ended up killing or injuring someone - you have committed a criminal offence.

Then, there is the situation where you have a friend or family member in your vehicle that you are driving & you have the accident causing serious injury to death, but thats OK because you thought by falsifying a licence application your previous medical condition wouldn't return or affect the driving.

Your conscience is yours, for I don't believe the easy 'what should I do' can be found on some expat forum

Facts are: you had the seizure & as you posted in the OP

When going for the UK license name change as well as when applying for a Canadian drivers licence, declare what medical condition it is that you had or have.

Maybe the first steps are to see a medical professional to get your prognosis one way or the other. Hey everything may be hunky-dory.

For what its worth - Do that what allows you to sleep at night

Engineer_abroad

When I had my incident the GP said you should drive until you have had the all clear. However they also said that it wasn't worth informing DVLA at that stage. I should point out mine was a fainting incident, that scared me enough to see my GP, but not a seizure.

I then saw specialists who on examination wrote letters back to the GP, me copied in, confirming that there was no reason for me not to drive or effect my work in anyway.

confused_uk

Ooops, sorry that's not what I was trying to do.

I was just trying to weigh up all the options & work out the implications of each. I think I am leaning towards talking to my GP (if I can) anyway.

not2old

exactly...

My wife had a 'sleep apnea' condition that the doctor threatened to write to the ministry to have her licence suspended. Turns out after a second (one level up/second opinion) specialist that she did not have the condition

For the OP & for reference, would your doctor be able to fill in the attached link form to certify that you are fit to get a licence in NS?

http://www.novascotia.ca/sns/pdf/ans...ion-report.pdf

and for the UK with an A-Z list of medical conditions listed

https://www.gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving

.

.

confused_uk

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your input & point of view. Just to add I wouldn't want to drive if I wasn't 100% sure I was fit to do so, I'm sure if I was to see the specialist they would agree.

This is not really about what the 'right thing' to do is, I know what that is, it's the dilemma of what are the next steps to take given the time frame. If I declare it here & they take my license I wouldn't get it back until they see medical evidence from here which even if I pay for myself is not likely to happen in time . I can't afford to fly back for an appointment (not even sure I would be allowed to if I've moved abroad). I'm worried I would effectively be losing my license & have to apply for a new one in Canada which I do not want to do.

I have no problem declaring it in NS as I will have the time to sort out any medical evidence needed. I just don't know if declaring it there & not here might bring up problems.

I wasn't looking for anyone on here to give me a definitive answer, just looking for some impartial opinions.

Jerseygirl

I didn't think you were intentionally doing so.

not2old

the UK DVLA link that I provide in my previous post #21 simply states 'the report' of a medical condition.

confused_uk

Thanks, I'll look into it

not2old

Good luck with it & trust you get it all sorted in your favour

FYI

https://www.gov.uk/government/upload...nformation.pdf

bert07

I would start with getting a copy of your medical records printed off by the gp surgery and see what it said on there. You are relying on memory from a few years ago and may not remember actually what was advised .

Aviator

When you go to get your license in NS, you declare any medical conditions. UK doctors report or not, you'll be told to get a drivers medical from a family doctor in Canada. If the family doctor consider there is a need for specialist appointments they will arrange them and if they don't you would likely get an all clear.

Making a false declaration (you get asked if there are any medical conditions) is an offense. As you failed to follow up on medical appointments in the UK, this could be a hurdle (or it may not).

As you say you hate driving and you have had no experience for a long time (not sure how much before you stopped driving?), NS may not give you a license without retesting. Even if they do, I strongly urge you to get some time behind the wheel with an instructor.

Stinkypup

I have to admit my hackles rose slightly in reading OP's comments with regarding to her initial Dr recommending assessment and her dismissing that advice as "making a mountain out of a molehill" - not wise. The doctors advice was sound and should not bave been dismissed so lightly. It maybe that mountain is the one that you will now have to climb. You clearly don't hold the medical community in very high regard, supported by your comments about your GP. We have your words as to what was said/ interpreted but again your attitude was perhaps a tad shall we say intolerant and derogatory.

Anyhow, moving on, I have thought at length how you could be helped in your dilemma. You don't have time sorting it out in the UK , not properly anyhow- this would involve going to the GP and getting a referral to a neurologist to examine you and get an EEG. You could get a confirmatory letter letter from your GP to say that you had a one of seizure three years ago and that it was as a result of trauma and you have had none since. The problem is that you have to write to the DVLA to get updated licence, you must declare the seizure but confirm that it was isolated never recurred and was related to trauma.

They will I'm sure need a report from your GP and possibly a neurologist report. Presumably you could get one here in NS but your medical coverage won't kick in for 3/12. It is getting very complicated

I tried to find the medical fitness requirements to drive in NS but couldn't find it so had to refer as an example to the BC one where I work. I enclose a screen grab of the page.

If you had been in BC and assessed and deemed fit by a neurologist to drive then that is a straight away drive. The problem is that you don't have a current licence to swap, if that is what they do in NS as they they do say here in BC.

It may be as Gozit suggested, leave it til you get here, get assessed by neurologist then get an NS licence but by a test presumably rather than by direct swap. That will take time but I think your choices are sadly limited.
Occasionally doctors do talk sense believe it not

Siouxie

https://www.novascotia.ca/sns/paal/rmv/paal269.asp

Other Countries with a Reciprocal Driver's License Exchange Agreement with Nova Scotia:

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Regular Class 5 or Class 6 driver's licence.

To get a Nova Scotia driver's licence, if you're from a country with a reciprocal license exchange agreement, you must:
Depending on the licence class from your originating jurisdiction or how long you have held your licence, you may be required to enter the Graduated Driver Licensing system.

So you could exchange your UK license for a NS one, but you would have to declare the medical condition.

I would suggest getting a letter from your GP confirming that there have been no further incidences in the past 3 years.