Driving After a Brain Metastases Diagnosis

Natasha Loveridge, EGFR+ UK Marketing Trustee

Surrendering your driving license when you have been diagnosed with brain mets conjures up a cacophony of emotions: you know you have to do it for the safety of yourself and others, but at the same time it feels so unfair to have to give up your independence. A quick twenty minute round trip to the shops to pick up some milk and bread has to be planned for and takes so much longer; the logistics of 'the big shop' becomes a military operation; ferrying children to their extra curricular activities, and taking the dogs to the vets involves much begging of help from friends and family!

If I had to give one piece of advice it would be buy some decent walking shoes, a windproof umbrella and set up a WhatsApp group of gorgeous people willing to ferry you around - my group was called 'Tasha's Taxis'!

It is no wonder that many of us are desperate to reapply for our driving licenses as soon as we can.

Reapplying for your driving license after brain mets feels like an absolute obstacle course. The DVLA website is tricky to navigate, and it is very hard to work out which forms you need to fill in. It is easy to make mistakes - I sent off the wrong form at first!

To make life a bit easier for you, I have compiled a quick guide on reapplying for your license:

If you have been diagnosed with brain mets, you MUST surrender your license to the DVLA as soon as possible - if you don't, your oncology team have a duty to report you. If you don’t voluntarily surrender your license and the DVLA revokes it, it is likely that you will have more difficulties when it comes to reapplying for your license.
Do have a look at Assessing Fitness to Drive a guideline published by the DVLA, but always check with your lung cancer team.
After a year (NB. this is one year from the start of your treatment and not from when the brain mets were first found), it may be possible to reapply for your license if you meet the DVLA criteria: your brain mets must be stable or resolved and you must have been on active treatment (TKI) for a year. ALWAYS CHECK with your ONCOLOGIST that you fit the criteria.
You need to complete a D1 AND a B1 form and send these to the DRIVERS' MEDICAL GROUP at DVLA. Use the Royal Mail tracking service so you know it's been received.

These forms can be downloaded from the DVLA website HERE or you can phone the DVLA and they will send them out in the post. Be aware that if you phone at peak times you can be out on hold for a long time. I found ringing around lunchtime was the best time and only had to wait on hold for around 20 minutes.