DVLA issues medication warning as elderly drivers at risk of ‘drowsiness’

The DVLA has warned medications taken by elderly drivers can ‘impair safe driving’ and put others at risk in a major warning. Officials claim treatment taken by road users with medical conditions may lead to many side effects. This includes major issues such as ‘drowsiness’ and ‘loss of co-ordination’ which could put older motorists under severe threat. The DVLA warns they have to consider the effects of medication when deciding whether someone should retain their licence. Specialists made the admission as part of a new  consultation looking into the DVLA’s role in driving licence renewals for those with medical conditions. Elderly drivers are at risk of medication side effects (Image: Getty) The report reads: ‘Many medications used to treat medical conditions can also impair safe driving as they may have side effects including drowsiness, dizziness, hypotension, hypoglycaemia, fainting, blurred vision, and loss of co-ordination. ‘When carrying out medical investigations, DVLA is increasingly having to take into consideration the potential cumulative effects of a combination of medical conditions and medication and whether this is likely to affect driving safety.’ Although medication can affect anyone, elderly drivers are disproportionately more affected than younger road users. Data from the DVLA shows that the bulk of cases involving medical conditions come from those above the age of 60. Medications can have serious side effects (Image: Getty) Motorists between the age of 70-79 make up the bulk of the DVLA’s casework with officials holding 16,000 investigations into single medical conditions. A further 10,000 checks are currently being made for those between 70 and 79 with multiple medical conditions. Drivers between 60 and 69 are the second highest demographic followed by those between the ages of 50 and 59. Thousands more checks are held for drivers over the age of 80 desperate to cling onto their licence. Earlier this year, road safety charity IAMRoadSmart warned there was a ‘hidden epidemic’ of prescription drug driving in Britain. A survey of 3,000 found that a whopping 30 percent of drivers did not know how much prescription medication they could take before it impacted their driving skills. A further 22 percent of drivers admitted they rarely or never checked if medicines handed out by doctors could have an effect on their driving ability. Antony Kildare, CEO of IAMRoadSmart said: ‘When people think of driving while under the influence of drugs, they will probably, quite understandably, think of those who get behind the wheel after taking illicit and recreational substances such as cocaine, cannabis or ecstasy. ‘And yet legal drugs that are used for medicinal purposes can often be just as potent, and could profoundly impact a driver’s judgement while behind the wheel.’