DR1 Questionaire. 2 extreme scenarios.

[Avantime]

Scenario 1- Someone fills out the DR1 ticking no to every question but they are lying.

Scenario 2- Someone fills out the DR1 ticking yes to every question.

What would be the most likely outcome for each scenario?

 

[Honestman]

Scenario 1- Someone fills out the DR1 ticking no to every question but they are lying.

Scenario 2- Someone fills out the DR1 ticking yes to every question.

What would be the most likely outcome for each

In most cases Dvla will write out to your Gp regardless of what you tick, so if you are lying a refusal is in order, if you have alcohol issues with the Gp it’ll be 12 months abstinence or 6 months controlled and if you have no issues then your license will be returned provided that you answer the medical questions correctly…

 

[Avantime]

In most cases Dvla will write out to your Gp …

In both scenarios? So basically they don't believe people that tick no to everything?

 

[Honestman]

In both scenarios? So basically they don't believe people that tick no to everything?

Correct, the people who tick no to everything are the most likely to have alcohol issues….

 

[Avantime]

Correct, the people who tick no to everything are the most likely to have alcohol issues….

Ok. So talking specifically about scenario 2, the DVLA will obviously make contact with a person's GP in that case, but what is their procedure going forward after they find out someone has history?

 

[Honestman]

Ok. So talking specifically about scenario 2, the DVLA will obviously make contact with a person's GP in that case, but what is their procedure going forward after they find out someone has history?

Depending on misuse or dependence, so you’ll have to prove 12 months sobriety coupled with medical evidence through your Gp or demonstrate 6 months of controlled drinking through your Gp, in both cases the Dvla will only consider your fitness to drive once these scenarios have been achieved through your Gp …

 

[Avantime]

In most cases Dvla will write out to your Gp regardless of what you tick, so if you are lying a refusal is in order, if you have alcohol issues with the Gp it’ll be 12 months abstinence or 6 months controlled and if you have no issues then your license will be returned provided that you answer the medical questions correctly…

So you are saying that it doesn't matter if you answer yes to everything, no to everything, yes to a few things, no to a few things, honestly or dishonestly, the DVLA, almost always contact the GP and unless the GP says there is no history of alcohol issues whatsoever, the DVLA will go the 12 or 6 month trial route?

 

[Honestman]

So you are saying that it doesn't matter if you answer yes to everything, no to everything, yes to a few things, no to a few things, honestly or dishonestly, the DVLA, almost always contact the GP and unless the GP says there is no history of alcohol issues whatsoever, the DVLA will go the 12 or 6 month trial route?

Yes this is correct, unfortunately if you have any alcohol issues documented with your Gp( doesn’t matter how old they are ) then Dvla will act accordingly, with me they went back as far as 2006 where I was showing dependency….and until you address your problems through the Gp and supply medical evidence Dvla will not consider your fitness to drive resulting in refusal….

 

[BigTom]

So you are saying that it doesn't matter if you answer yes to everything, no to everything, yes to a few things, no to a few things, honestly or dishonestly, the DVLA, almost always contact the GP and unless the GP says there is no history of alcohol issues whatsoever, the DVLA will go the 12 or 6 month trial route?

DVLA have done all of this before, they are not mugs. They do not take the questionnaire as gospel, they already know the answer to some of the questions as their system will have notes from other agencies and previously supplied information. The majority of people will find that if the answers are truthful and match up with what they already know, then there are usually no issues.

It seems to be a lottery whether they write to the GP or not, but one might presume that if the answers on the questionnaire back up what they already know, then there may be no need to involve the GP. If they do write to the GP however, if there are any notes mentioning alcohol in the past, then this will have to be disclosed to DVLA and they will then decide on whether they class you as dependent or a misuser in which case they may decline your licence until such a time they see you as low risk.

 

[Avantime]

DVLA have done all of this before, they are not mugs. They do not take the questionnaire as gospel, they already know the answer to some of the questions as their system will have notes from other agencies and previously supplied information. The majority of people will find that if the answers are truthful and match up with what they already know, then there are usually no issues.

It seems to be a lottery whether they write to the GP or not, but one might presume that if the answers on the questionnaire back up what they already know, then there may be no need to involve the GP. If they do write to the GP however, if there are any notes mentioning alcohol in the past, then this will have to be disclosed to DVLA and they will then decide on whether they class you as dependent or a misuser in which case they may decline your licence until such a time they see you as low risk.

And how precisely are they able to know certain things pertaining to my confidential medical history? What agencies and previously supplied information would you be referring too?

 

[Honestman]

So you are saying that it doesn't matter if you answer yes to everything, no to everything, yes to a few things, no to a few things, honestly or dishonestly, the DVLA, almost always contact the GP and unless the GP says there is no history of alcohol issues whatsoever, the DVLA will go the 12 or 6 month trial route?

Do you have ANY medical conditions that you are aware of, you sound very concerned??

 

[Avantime]

Yes this is correct, unfortunately if you have any alcohol issues documented with your Gp( doesn’t matter how old they are ) then Dvla will act accordingly, with me they went back as far as 2006 where I was showing dependency….and until you address your problems through the Gp and supply medical evidence Dvla will not consider your fitness to drive resulting in refusal….

I'll be honest, the hurdles that the DVLA expect you to jump disgust me. I have paid my court costs, done 120 hours of community service, completed a rehab course at my expense to reduce my ban from 26 months to 19, completed a 1 year probation period without re-offending, will face increased insurance costs for 5 years and be required to disclose unspent criminal convictions for 5 years too which may affect future employment prospects. I've done everything I have been required to do and yet it's still not enough. I'm not looking for sympathy and deserved my sentence, however whilst that was punishment, the business with the DVLA is persecution in my view.

 

[Honestman]

I'll be honest, the hurdles that the DVLA expect you to jump disgust me. I have paid my court costs, done 120 hours of community service, completed a rehab course at my expense to reduce my ban from 26 months to 19, completed a 1 year probation period without re-offending, will face increased insurance costs for 5 years and be required to disclose unspent criminal convictions for 5 years too which may affect future employment prospects. I've done everything I have been required to do and yet it's still not enough. I'm not looking for sympathy and deserved my sentence, however whilst that was punishment, the business with the DVLA is persecution in my view.

Yes and I agree, however behind the scenes of most drink drivers there are alcohol and mental health problems which caused them to offend in the very beginning, the older you are the more likely you are to have some kind of medical history with the Gp that the Dvla want access to, to be able to consider your fitness to drive in the present day, and as mentioned alcohol & mental health problems are top of their list including all prescribed medications, this then comes with the responsibility of being a HRO, how does it work ? Usually Dvla will write to you asking for consent to your GPs notes, once you agree they will send out form DD2 and or M2 to your Gp for them to complete, the forms themselves will consist of alcohol related questions and mental health questions related to alcohol, your Gp has six weeks to turn these forms around but in some cases it can take longer, once the Dvla have ALL information including your medical and results and GPs input only then will they make a decision to issue out a licence, again if they find problems then you will be required to do the time off driving documented by the Gp in order for you to obtain a temporary 1 year licence that they will review every year until satisfactory medical evidence has been applied…if you do live in England I believe you can access your medical history online, and if you have no history of alcohol on your Gp notes then fill in the medical questions at your medical with no more than 14 units of alcohol per week and no more than 3 drinks in any one sitting, and therefore your license should be granted..

 

[Avantime]

Yes and I agree, however behind the scenes of most drink drivers there are alcohol and mental health problems which caused them to offend in the very beginning, the older you are the more likely you are to have some kind of medical history with the Gp that the Dvla want access to, to be able to consider your fitness to drive in the present day, and as mentioned alcohol & mental health problems are top of their list including all prescribed medications, this then comes with the responsibility of being a HRO, how does it work ? Usually Dvla will write to you asking for consent to your GPs notes, once you agree they will send out form DD2 and or M2 to your Gp for them to complete, the forms themselves will consist of alcohol related questions and mental health questions related to alcohol, your Gp has six weeks to turn these forms around but in some cases it can take longer, once the Dvla have ALL information including your medical and results and GPs input only then will they make a decision to issue out a licence, again if they find problems then you will be required to do the time off driving documented by the Gp in order for you to obtain a temporary 1 year licence that they will review every year until satisfactory medical evidence has been applied…if you do live in England I believe you can access your medical history online, and if you have no history of alcohol on your Gp notes then fill in the medical questions at your medical with no more than 14 units of alcohol per week and no more than 3 drinks in any one sitting, and therefore your license should be granted..

I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean by this-

" in order for you to obtain a temporary 1 year licence that they will review every year until satisfactory medical evidence has been applied"

 

[Honestman]

I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean by this-

" in order for you to obtain a temporary 1 year licence that they will review every year until satisfactory medical evidence has been applied"

Ok, so if they find alcohol related issues with your Gp you will be either classed as misuse or dependence, misuse = 6 months off driving and you will need to demonstrate controlled drinking through your Gp, so you will need to supply liver function tests (medical evidence) to reapply for your licence after you have been refused, Dependence = 12 months of sobriety and 12 months off driving again supplying liver function tests(medical evidence) to demonstrate to Dvla that you are sober and remain sober, in both cases if you have applied for your licence after a ban and dvla find alcohol problems one of the above will apply to you, and you will usually be refused, until you have complete one of the above, if you google Dvla alcohol/drugs time off driving before I can reapply you can read up on the information, sorry if this has come as a shock to you but this is how most people find out through the forum…

 

[Avantime]

Ok, so if they find alcohol related issues with your Gp you will be either classed as misuse or dependence, misuse = 6 months off driving and you will need to demonstrate controlled drinking through your Gp, so you will need to supply liver function tests (medical evidence) to reapply for your licence after you have been refused, Dependence = 12 months of sobriety and 12 months off driving again supplying liver function tests(medical evidence) to demonstrate to Dvla that you are sober and remain sober, in both cases if you have applied for your licence after a ban and dvla find alcohol problems one of the above will apply to you, and you will usually be refused, until you have complete one of the above, if you google Dvla alcohol/drugs time off driving before I can reapply you can read up on the information, sorry if this has come as a shock to you but this is how most people find out through the forum…

Ok thanks for that explanation. So how do they determine the difference between misuse and dependence? Would misuse apply to binge drinkers and dependence to people who are drinking daily and get withdrawal symptoms if they stop drinking suddenly?

 

[Honestman]

I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean by this-

" in order for you to obtain a temporary 1 year licence that they will review every year until satisfactory medical evidence has been applied"

So if you are granted a 1 year licence through alcohol issues then you will be required to supply medical evidence through your Gp (liver function test ) in order for you to keep your next one year licence, temporarily licences are issued out around alcohol issues and you will be asked to attend a Dvla medical every year for a total of 7 years, apologies if I wasn’t clear first time round, it can become complicated if your not upto speed with it ..

 

[Honestman]

Ok thanks for that explanation. So how do they determine the difference between misuse and dependence? Would misuse apply to binge drinkers and dependence to people who are drinking daily and get withdrawal symptoms if they stop drinking suddenly?

Ok so your own Gp would of documented into your notes if your misuse or dependence, there is a wide range of dependencies that GPs use so a one off alcohol problem that’s never been repeated would class as misuse, however constant binges or reoccurring alcohol problems would be classified as dependent,,,you can speak with your Gp to find out what has been placed into your notes if you have spoken with them around alcohol issues..have you spoken with your Gp about alcohol in the past ??

 

[BigTom]

And how precisely are they able to know certain things pertaining to my confidential medical history? What agencies and previously supplied information would you be referring too?

They don't know your confidential medical history (until your GP supplies it when they ask!). However, when you were convicted, the Police, CPS and maybe other agencies will have provided information which will have been recorded on the DVLA system. Also, any DVLA medical carried out will have provided information. Any discrepancies or contradictions you supply can and will bite you on the arse.

You have to realise that having a driving licence is a privilege, not a god given right. Yes, DVLA make people jump through hoops, but they have a mandate to ensure the safety of the public at large, and drink drivers are a pretty easy win for them.

 

[Avantime]

So if you are granted a 1 year licence through alcohol issues then you will be required to supply medical evidence through your Gp (liver function test ) in order for you to keep your next one year licence, temporarily licences are issued out around alcohol issues and you will be asked to attend a Dvla medical every year for a total of 7 years, apologies if I wasn’t clear first time round, it can become complicated if your not upto speed with it ..

So 7 years of DVLA medicals at about £150 a time!? This just goes from bad to worse.