Even legal prescriptions could hamper driver’s ability to stay alert and focused (Picture: Getty Images)
Motorists could lose their driving licence over an offence behind the wheel – even unknowingly if using certain legal medicines.
It might be easy to think that once you’ve passed the notorious driving test you’ll get to have your licence forever unless you do something outrageous.
The first hoop for new drivers is to avoid getting six or more penalty points during the first two years as this could end up with the licence being revoked.
Other more obvious grounds for drivers losing their licence include speeding, careless driving or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Taking certain legal drugs without a prescription and driving is an offence – and it could be dangerous (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
However, legal drugs can also hamper your ability to drive safely and it breaches the Road Traffic Act 1988, MyLondon reports.
The law is clear that motorists in England, Wales and Scotland should not hit the road if they are unfit to drive because of legal drugs.
Driving under the influence of some prescription and over-the-counter medicines is also against the law if you’ve not been prescribed them.
Illegal drugs are out of bounds for drivers without a doubt even if it doesn’t affect driving. Police can stop drivers and ask to do a roadside field impairment test or a drug swipe for cannabis and cocaine.
Prescription medicine that could impact driving
Motorists who have been prescribed the following medicine should ask their doctor if it is safe for them to drive.
amphetamine, for example dexamphetamine or selegiline
clonazepam
diazepam
flunitrazepam
lorazepam
methadone
morphine or opiate and opioid-based drugs, for example codeine, tramadol or fentanyl
oxazepam
temazepam
Penalties
Penalties for drug driving, including for certain medicines without an appropriate prescription and illegal substances, include a minimum one year driving ban.
You could also face an unlimited fine, up to six months in prison and a criminal record.
It would also show on your driving licence for 11 years that you’ve been convicted for drug driving.
Other issues would be higher car insurance costs, your employer seeing the conviction if you drive for work and trouble entering countries like the US.
There is also a list of medical conditions that could be the end of the road for many drivers through no fault of their own.
Knowingly failing to tell the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA) about a medical condition could land motorists with a fine of up to £1,000.
The DVLA has listed dozens of conditions and illnesses. With some of them, you are required to let them know regardless of whether it impacts your ability to drive or not and they are known as notifiable conditions.
They include:
Diabetes or taking insulin
Syncope (fainting)
Heart conditions, including atrial fibrillation and pacemakers
Sleep apnoea
Epilepsy
Strokes
Glaucoma
Driving licences made headlines this week after the government announced plans to launch new digital licences later this year.
The move could impact around 50 million Britons with licences.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
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The post The little-known way you could lose your driving licence appeared first on WorldNewsEra.