For many individuals, driving comes with a way of freedom and independence. When you stay with a incapacity, you’ll be able to nonetheless reap the advantages of driving. That can assist you perceive the principles and laws round disabled driving, right here’s every part you want to learn about driving with a incapacity.
What’s a Blue Badge?
A Blue Badge permits disabled drivers sure parking concessions and advantages, together with the power within the UK to park nearer to their vacation spot. There are particular guidelines for Blue Badge holders that make sure the scheme is used appropriately. Any Blue Badge misuse may end up in a hefty high quality, as much as £1,000.
You may study extra in our information to Blue Badge parking rules.
Can a disabled particular person drive a automobile?
Having a incapacity doesn’t imply you could’t study to drive. There are numerous modifications that may be made to a automobile that may allow drivers with sure disabilities to drive a automobile, resembling hand controls for braking and accelerating, particular seating, clutch conversions and extra.
The modifications you want will rely in your particular person circumstances, however you will want to tell the DVLA of your situation earlier than you begin studying.
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How you can get a driving licence for a disabled particular person
When you’re a brand new driver with a incapacity you will want to tell the DVLA if you apply to your provisional licence. You will need to declare all disabilities when doing so, in any other case you can be hit with a ban or face a £1,000 high quality.
As soon as the DVLA are conscious, they’ll then resolve whether or not you meet the medical requirements to drive safely, and can give you tailor-made data on any modifications you want to make to your automobile.
If you’re nonetheless uncertain, you’ll be able to seek for your nearest ‘driving mobility’ evaluation centre, the place you’ll be able to undergo the applying levels with skilled professionals who will inform you on whether or not you go the medical requirements for driving.
Upon getting a provisional licence, chances are you’ll want to discover an teacher in your space who has a learner automobile modified for disabled drivers. However beware these diversifications are normally fundamental, and should not meet your wants.
Regardless of the severity of your incapacity, the sensible driving check will stay the identical. You will want to tell the check centre beforehand should you consider you’ll want any particular provisions, resembling further time for the examiner to ask if there are any modifications wanted to your check automobile.
When you’re already a certified driver, however have developed a incapacity or medical situation, you want to inform the DVLA earlier than you step foot into one other automobile. That is to allow them to additionally give you the data you want to make sure you’re not breaking the regulation and are protecting your self and others secure on the highway.
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Does being disabled have an effect on automobile tax?
Disabled drivers could also be exempt from paying highway tax relying on whether or not they meet sure standards. To be eligible for disabled automobile tax exemption, the automobile should be registered within the disabled particular person’s identify or the identify of their nominated driver. The automobile should additionally solely be utilized by the disabled driver, or the nominated driver for the disabled particular person’s private wants solely – it should not be utilized by the nominated driver for private use.
You may apply for disabled automobile tax should you already obtain the upper price mobility part of DLA, the improved price mobility part of PIP, the Struggle Pensioners’ Mobility Complement or the Armed Forces Independence Fee. When you aren’t eligible for automobile tax exemption, however you obtain the usual price mobility part for PIP, you may get a 50% discount in automobile tax.
For extra data, together with tips on how to declare for the primary time and tips on how to renew, learn our article on road tax exemptions for disabled drivers.
Does being disabled have an effect on automobile insurance coverage?
The Incapacity Discrimination Act 2005 ensures that automobile insurance coverage suppliers and insurers can’t legally penalise you for being disabled. You can’t be refused insurance coverage due to your incapacity.
There are insurance coverage suppliers, resembling ourselves, that specialize in disabled car insurance and supply advantages together with like-for-like cowl on accessibility modifications made to your automobile. Specialised insurance coverage insurance policies also can present cowl for carers to drive your automobile, which is why it’s useful to look into tailor-made automobile insurance coverage for Blue Badge holders.
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What medical situations can cease you driving?
There are various medical situations that may cease you driving, both long-term or briefly, relying on severity and signs. The easiest way to test whether or not a well being or medical situation can have an effect on your driving is through the official government portal.
When you’re making use of for a provisional licence, you want to declare your entire disabilities and medical situations to the DVLA. When you’re a certified driver who has developed a ‘notifiable’ medical situation or incapacity, or you probably have a situation or incapacity that’s worsened because you first obtained your licence, you want to inform the DVLA.
Notifiable situations consult with something that might have an effect on your capability to drive safely, together with however not restricted to:
- Visible situations
- Sleep apnea
- Epilepsy
- Strokes
- Neurological situations
- Bodily disabilities
- Surgical procedure
If you don’t inform the DVLA a few medical situation or incapacity, you will be fined as much as £1,000. You may even be prosecuted should you’re concerned in an accident and haven’t declared your medical situation.
You should additionally quit your licence in case your physician tells you to cease driving for 3 or extra months, or you don’t meet the required requirements for driving due to your medical situation.
In addition to declaring your incapacity to the DVLA, you’ll additionally must contact your automobile insurance coverage supplier and declare any notifiable medical situations to your automobile insurance coverage.
Be taught extra in our information to what medical conditions have to be declared for car insurance.
How you can get a incapacity automobile
Many individuals who obtain advantages for a mobility-based incapacity are capable of lease a automobile from the motability scheme. The motability scheme not solely leases automobiles for disabled drivers, but in addition mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs.
You may lease a disabled automobile from the motability scheme should you’ve been awarded:
- Incapacity Residing Allowance (increased price mobility part)
- Private Independence Fee (enhanced price mobility part)
- Armed Forces Independence Fee
To use you need to have at the very least 12 months of profit funds remaining.
When you require modifications that will help you drive, these will must be fitted earlier than the automobile is delivered. That is to make sure it’s secure and authorized to drive below the medical situations set by the DVLA when your licence was issued.
To search out out extra, learn our article on the motability scheme and motability insurance rules and restrictions.
Are you able to study to drive with studying difficulties?
When you’ve got studying difficulties, you’ll be able to nonetheless learn to drive so long as you don’t have any additional situations that might cease you doing so. Relying in your skills and wishes, you’ll be able to take the sensible check driving both a handbook or an automated automobile. Nevertheless, should you go your check driving an automated automobile, you’ll be restricted to solely driving automated autos.
When you’ve got your individual automobile and you’ve got diversifications fitted to it, these diversifications will decide whether or not the automobile is classed as a handbook or automated automobile. For instance, automobiles fitted with centrifugal clutches or free-wheel units are nonetheless classed as handbook autos and don’t fall inside the definition of autos with automated transmission.
When you’ve got studying difficulties, the driving check examiner will make changes for the impartial driving a part of the check. They may additionally ask should you’d desire to observe visitors indicators as an alternative of instructions from a sat nav.
Once you e-book the sensible driving check, you need to declare the main points of your bodily incapacity or studying incapacity. This data is then handed to the examiner, who will resolve whether or not to permit you further time for the sensible driving check.
When are you able to drive with a incapacity?
With the intention to study to drive, you need to maintain a provisional licence. Often you want to be at the very least 17 years outdated to carry a driving licence, however should you obtain the upper price mobility part of DLA or the improved price mobility part of PIP, chances are you’ll maintain a licence if you’re 16 years outdated. You may apply to your licence three months earlier than your birthday.
Disabled driver insurance coverage you’ll be able to belief
With greater than 50 years’ expertise in offering specialist automobile insurance coverage and providing greater than 200 insurance coverage schemes protecting disabled drivers, we’ll aid you discover the fitting disabled driver insurance coverage to fit your wants.
