Fitness to drive

Before you think about mirrors or gears, you need to be fit to drive. That means you can see well enough, your health does not put you or others at risk, and nothing you have taken is slowing you down.

The law puts this responsibility on you, the driver. It applies every time you get behind the wheel, not just on the day of your test.

By the end of this topic you can

You can check that your eyesight meets the legal standard for driving.
You can decide whether a health condition needs to be reported to DVLA.
You can check whether a medicine might affect your driving before you take the car out.
You can recognise when you are not well enough to drive and choose another way to travel.

What you need to know and understand

You must be able to read a car number plate in good daylight from 20 metres, with glasses or contact lenses if you need them.
If you need glasses or lenses to meet that standard, you must wear them every time you drive.
The minimum eyesight standard is a visual acuity of at least decimal 0.5 (6/12 on the Snellen scale), and you also need an adequate field of vision.
You must tell DVLA about any health condition likely to affect your driving. Not doing so can lead to a fine of up to 1,000 pounds.
The police can ask you to take an eyesight test at the roadside.
It is illegal to drive if any drug or medicine, legal or not, makes you unfit to drive.

Your eyesight and the number plate check

At the very start of your practical test, the examiner asks you to read the number plate of a parked vehicle. If you cannot read it correctly, the test stops there, DVLA is told and your licence is taken away. When you reapply for a licence, DVLA will ask you to take an eyesight test with DVSA, and you must pass the number plate check again at your next practical test.

Short sight, long sight and colour blindness do not need to be reported to DVLA, as long as you meet the standard with glasses or lenses if needed. Sight problems that affect both eyes, or your only eye, must be reported. Regular eye tests with an optician are the easiest way to stay on the right side of the rules.

Health conditions and DVLA

Some conditions can affect your ability to control a car safely, for example epilepsy, some heart conditions, diabetes treated with insulin, sleep disorders and some mental health conditions. DVLA keeps an A to Z list of conditions and has an online checker. If your condition is on the list, you must tell them, and they will decide whether you can keep driving.

If your doctor tells you to stop driving for 3 months or more, you should give up your licence to DVLA. Telling them is not the end of driving for most people. Many drivers keep their licence, sometimes with a shorter renewal period.

Days when you should not drive

Even without a long-term condition, there will be days when you are not fit to drive. A heavy cold, a migraine or a new medicine can slow your reactions as much as a drink can.

Read the leaflet with any medicine and ask a pharmacist if it could make you drowsy.
Do not drive if you feel dizzy, faint or unwell. Ask someone else to drive or use public transport.
If you are injured, for example with a sprained ankle or a hand in a bandage, you may not have full control of the pedals or wheel.
If a health problem starts while you are driving, find a safe place to stop.

Common mistakes

Forgetting glasses for a lesson. Keep a spare pair in your bag or the car if you need them to drive.
Assuming a condition is too minor to report. Use the DVLA checker or ask your GP rather than guessing.
Taking a new medicine and going straight out for a lesson. Wait until you know how it affects you, and ask a pharmacist.
Driving while feeling ill because a lesson is booked. Rearranging is better than practising badly or unsafely.

Practice tip: Before your first lesson, ask your instructor or supervising driver to stand you 20 metres from a parked car so you can practise reading the number plate, and book an eye test if you struggle.

Test yourself: Fitness to drive

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

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Sources: Highway Code rules 90 to 92 and rule 96 (gov.uk); Driving eyesight rules (gov.uk); Health conditions and driving (gov.uk); Drug driving and the law (gov.uk). Independent guide, not affiliated with any licensing agency. Always check the latest official rules with the DVSA.

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