Changes to your Driving Licence

Changes in circumstances that could affect your licence

Medical conditions

There are hundreds of different medical conditions that could affect your ability to drive. By law you are required to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Association (DVLA) if you suffer from any ailment that could affect your driving. Failure to do so could result in prosecution and invalidation of your insurance should your medical condition be of relevance to any accident you may be involved in on the road. 

The DVLA will assess your case based on the information you provide them if possible. Should they not be able to do this, they may require extra information from your doctor or require you to attend a medical examination. Possible outcomes of providing this information to the DVLA include:

• Nothing, you retain your licence or are given a new one
• You may be given a new licence with a time limit when the DVLA will review your case
• You may be given a new license that shows you need special equipment to aid your driving should your ailment be physical
• Your licence will be revoked and you will be unable to drive unless your condition improves

If your licence is revoked you will be provided with a full medical record stating the reasons. There may be the possibility of reapplication for your licence should the reasons for your suspension from driving improve. You also have the right to appeal the decision in court.

Change of address

You are required to inform the DVLA of any change of address; upon this submission you will be issued with a new driving licence free of charge, unless you are due to change your photo. If you fail to notify the DVLA of such a change in circumstances, any Notice of Intended Prosecution that is to be delivered through the post will not reach you and the blame for this will fall squarely upon you. For example, if you are caught speeding by a camera and have not informed the DVLA that you have changed your address, the police will send the NIP to your old address. The consequences if this happens can be severe. You have 28 days in which to reply to an NIP and state the identity of the driver, and failure to do so will result in your case being referred to court. A charge of failure to identify the driver can then be brought against you, the punishment for which is 6 penalty points and the possibility of a fine of up to £1000.

For information on disqualification, see Endorsements, Disqualification and Revocation.

Car insurance with points

There is a huge online debate on the subject of trouble acquiring car insurance whilst having points on a licence. Many drivers have found they are having to pay more to insure their cars due to the penalties they have received in the past.

Driving with no insurance

Driving with no insurance is a criminal offence in the UK. Anyone driving a vehicle in a public place in the UK must have an insurance policy in place which at least covers third party damages should you be involved in a traffic accident.

The essentials of road traffic law

The Road Traffic Acts were put in place to regulate the use of vehicles and also to control the behaviour of the drivers using the road. The original statute that decided the law was the Road Traffic Act 1988.