How do I renew my driving licence?

QThe article (July 2020) on the anomalies of driving licence classes for motorhomes over 3,500kg in this current medical crisis illustrates a problem I am having over the renewal of my driving licence.

I am a 67-year-old Type 2 diabetic. I started injecting insulin in 2017 and, after telling the DVLA about my condition, a decision was made by the medical unit to prematurely curtail the validity of my driving licence at the age of 64.

However, in 2017, the DVLA granted me a restricted three-year licence to drive vehicles up to 7,500kg, which expired in May 2020.

Some months ago, (prior to the first lockdown) I applied to renew my licence for a further three years and, in order to hasten the application, I paid for a DVLA D4 medical examination, including an optician’s report, which I sent to the DVLA with all the other relevant paperwork.

The DVLA was in possession of all the facts needed to adjudicate on my application before the lockdown.

I have since written to the DVLA to try to get a response. No reply. I went through the complaints procedure: no reply. I wrote to the Chief Executive of the DVLA on three occasions.

The DVLA alleges that the NHS and GMC have told the DVLA that medical examinations for licences have been stopped due to the pandemic, but I have written to the NHS in Wales and the GMC and both deny sending out such an edict.

I have a £70,000 motorhome sitting in my front garden that I am not allowed to drive. Where on earth can I go from here? Peter A Morris

AThe DVLA announced an automatic extension of driving licences expiring from 1 February 2020 to 31 December 2020 for 11 months. Llooking at the DVLA website, things aren’t so clear cut for some. Certainly, for standard car licences the automatic extension applies; however, this situation is complicated because of the medical condition and possibly that the Group 2 licence (C1) was acquired by virtue of passing a car driving test before 1 January 1997.

It appears that a Group 2 licence – which the DVLA website refers to as lorry and bus licences – and a medical condition disqualifies someone from the automatic extension.

On contacting the

DVLA, it has confirmed the following:

Where a driver has already submitted an application to renew a licence, the extension does not apply. If a driver submitted an application prior to the original lockdown and has not received any response, contact the DVLA

Where we are notified of a medical condition that may affect driving, we will investigate. In complex medical investigations, we will often be reliant on receiving further information from a third party – such as the driver’s GP or consultant – before we can make an evidenced decision to issue a licence. Drivers may be able to continue to drive while their application is being processed, provided that they are fit and well and have not been told by a doctor or optician that they should not drive.

Renewal of a Group 2 licence must be made through a paper application and will require a D4 medical examination report completed by a registered medical practitioner.

If a driver is renewing his/her driving entitlement at the age of 70 or over, and wishes to retain the C1 and D1(101) entitlement, he/she must complete a D2 application form. This must be accompanied by a D4 medical examination report completed by a registered medical practitioner.

In circumstances where the extension does not apply, or when applying to renew after the extension has ended, applicants must complete a D2 application form.

This must be accompanied by a D4 medical examination report and the applicable medical questionnaire in order to retain the C1 and D1 (101) entitlement.

Clearly, in your case, the extension does not apply and, while the DVLA press office was unable to comment on individual cases, it has taken your details and so hopefully your application will be chased up shortly.

Barry Norris