William Turner
PFD Report
All Responded
Ref: 2020-0209
All 1 response received
· Deadline: 10 Dec 2020
Sent To
Response Status
Responses
1 of 1
56-Day Deadline
10 Dec 2020
All responses received
About PFD responses
Organisations named in PFD reports must respond within 56 days explaining what actions they are taking.
Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
Coroner’s Concerns
(1) Although there was no direct commentary on the incident and the evidence by a neurologist during the Inquest, it is reasonable to infer that it is at least possible that the driver that triggered the incident did so as a result of an epileptic seizure. Indeed, there is no alternative reasonable explanation. He was not, for example, intoxicated or acting under the influence of drugs. He is a person of good character with no driving convictions of any sort. The evidence from the police collision investigator was to the effect that his vehicle was so seriously out of control that an epileptic seizure is very plausible. The driver was not charged with having committed a criminal offence.
(2) The above notwithstanding, he lawfully held a driving licence having had it re-instated on 01 October 2016, by the correct application of the Motor Vehicle (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999 by the Drivers Medical Group of the DVLA.
(3) The time frames of 6 months and 12 months for surrender of the drivers licence were provided in the Regulations, which are framed and from time to time amended pursuant to recommendations of the Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Disorders of the Nervous System, which you chair.
(4) Is there scope for re-visiting these time frames in the light of the facts of this case, or at least reviewing them in the light of this case?
(2) The above notwithstanding, he lawfully held a driving licence having had it re-instated on 01 October 2016, by the correct application of the Motor Vehicle (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999 by the Drivers Medical Group of the DVLA.
(3) The time frames of 6 months and 12 months for surrender of the drivers licence were provided in the Regulations, which are framed and from time to time amended pursuant to recommendations of the Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Driving and Disorders of the Nervous System, which you chair.
(4) Is there scope for re-visiting these time frames in the light of the facts of this case, or at least reviewing them in the light of this case?
Responses
Response received
View full response
Dear Mr Oliver,
Thank you for your report, of 16 October to Dr made under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and Regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013, following the inquest you conducted into the death of Mr William Edward Turner. Your report has been sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) as, although the Secretary of State’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Disorders of the Nervous System and Driving provides expert advice, the DVLA is responsible for ensuring drivers can meet the required medical standards.
I was very sorry to learn of the tragic circumstances of this case and would like to express my sincere condolences to Mr Turner’s family.
Your report asks whether the timeframes for drivers who experience seizures might be revisited and reviewed, in light of the circumstances of this case.
It may help if I explain that for epilepsy, the fitness to drive standards are based on the risk of seizure recurrence while driving. When considering the appropriate health standards for driving, a balance needs to be made between road safety and the needs of drivers who experience seizures.
For drivers with well-managed epilepsy, 12 months off driving while remaining seizure free is considered the period of time needed for the risk of a further seizure to have fallen to an appropriate level. Where epilepsy is not managed appropriately, the individual is more likely to suffer a relapse of seizures. These drivers will not meet the criteria to hold a driving licence.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Strategy, Policy and Communications Directorate Longview Road Morriston Swansea SA6 7JL Phone: 01792 788578 Email: @dvla.gov.uk Website:
Your Ref:
Our Ref:
Date:
24 November 2020
When drivers reapply for their driving licence following a diagnosis of epilepsy, they must make a written declaration that they will follow their doctor’s advice regarding treatment, attend the appointments required to clinically manage their condition and advise the DVLA of any further seizure they may experience. This is to ensure that only those with a low risk of seizure are issued with a licence to drive.
The rules governing epilepsy and seizures are regularly reviewed by the medical experts on Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Disorders of the Nervous System. As road safety is our priority, I will ask the panel to review the period of time required off driving before someone who has suffered a seizure can regain their driving licence.
Thank you for your report, of 16 October to Dr made under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and Regulations 28 and 29 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013, following the inquest you conducted into the death of Mr William Edward Turner. Your report has been sent to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) as, although the Secretary of State’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Disorders of the Nervous System and Driving provides expert advice, the DVLA is responsible for ensuring drivers can meet the required medical standards.
I was very sorry to learn of the tragic circumstances of this case and would like to express my sincere condolences to Mr Turner’s family.
Your report asks whether the timeframes for drivers who experience seizures might be revisited and reviewed, in light of the circumstances of this case.
It may help if I explain that for epilepsy, the fitness to drive standards are based on the risk of seizure recurrence while driving. When considering the appropriate health standards for driving, a balance needs to be made between road safety and the needs of drivers who experience seizures.
For drivers with well-managed epilepsy, 12 months off driving while remaining seizure free is considered the period of time needed for the risk of a further seizure to have fallen to an appropriate level. Where epilepsy is not managed appropriately, the individual is more likely to suffer a relapse of seizures. These drivers will not meet the criteria to hold a driving licence.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Strategy, Policy and Communications Directorate Longview Road Morriston Swansea SA6 7JL Phone: 01792 788578 Email: @dvla.gov.uk Website:
Your Ref:
Our Ref:
Date:
24 November 2020
When drivers reapply for their driving licence following a diagnosis of epilepsy, they must make a written declaration that they will follow their doctor’s advice regarding treatment, attend the appointments required to clinically manage their condition and advise the DVLA of any further seizure they may experience. This is to ensure that only those with a low risk of seizure are issued with a licence to drive.
The rules governing epilepsy and seizures are regularly reviewed by the medical experts on Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Disorders of the Nervous System. As road safety is our priority, I will ask the panel to review the period of time required off driving before someone who has suffered a seizure can regain their driving licence.
Report Sections
Investigation and Inquest
On Tenth October 2019 I commenced an investigation into the death of William Edward TURNER aged 74. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on Fourteenth October 2020. The conclusion of the inquest was Road Traffic Collision: I a Head and Neck Injuries I b I c
Similar PFD Reports
Reports sharing organisations, categories, or themes with this PFD
Related Inquiry Recommendations
Public inquiry recommendations addressing similar themes
Apply best offer principle equally in GLOS
Post Office Horizon Inquiry
Outdated Operational Guidance
Post Office to engage in negotiations during HSSA appeal period
Post Office Horizon Inquiry
Outdated Operational Guidance
Set deadline for HSS claims with guidance on late applications
Post Office Horizon Inquiry
Outdated Operational Guidance
Clarify whether HCRS and OCS assessment processes differ
Post Office Horizon Inquiry
Outdated Operational Guidance
Establish standing public body to administer future redress schemes
Post Office Horizon Inquiry
Outdated Operational Guidance
Devise redress process for affected family members
Post Office Horizon Inquiry
Outdated Operational Guidance
Data sourced from Courts and Tribunals Judiciary under the Open Government Licence.