Neighbour went on holiday - he had been unwell for quite some time. Spain and 30 C+ for a week. He took ill, epileptic fit and was taken to hospital where he was 7 days before coming home.
Back on Monday and went straight to bed.
Today, I went to his door to ask if they needed anything as I was going into town and offered to pick up anything needed!
They did not need any help as they were going to drive along to the supermarket!
He has not seen the GP but spoken to on the phone. He has not been told not to drive. The GP is seeking advice from the local hospital! Mid 80s - No history of the problem.
I said, I felt he should not drive as it is just a week since the seizure but his wife said it's not far!
His wife has not driven for say 25+ years.
What's your opinion?
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I you have serious concerns you can report to DVLA. There is an online form.
The DVLA will not automatically revoke a licence based solely on an outside report.
They will investigate by contacting the driver, asking them to complete a medical questionnaire, or requesting medical reports from their GP or consultant.
Alternatively, if you believe someone is an immediate danger on the road right now, you should contact the police.
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Bit of common sense would tell you to wait and see, leave driving for a bit. But some people don't like being told what to do so they carry on until forced to do something different.
Last edited by: sooty123 on Wed 16 Sep 26 at 13:05
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My opinion would be to let it be, it’s not your responsibility. If his doctor takes issue so be it, but it’s not for you to interfere, although i’m sure you have good intentions.
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I do not intend to interfere.
The point I was making was that if something were to happen so soon after being taken ill - it could be very serious for him licence wise / insurance wise.
Letting the GP take advice was worth waiting a few days to get clarification.
A 12 month ban is possible. However, it is awkward but manageable.
Any incident, a few days after leaving hospital, might be a police matter with huge implications.
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>> My opinion would be to let it be, it’s not your responsibility. >>
It's an interesting question, as doing nowt basically assumes (and hopes) that nothing serious will happen. Some may have seen the recent Channel-4 programme with the story of someone who reported a fellow train passenger watching child porn on his phone. Rail Police arrested him on arrival at Euston, resulting in a 2-year jail sentence. Full disclosure of details and identity on screen, which rather surprised me.
The other half of the programme concerned a group of three immigrant criminals (names looked Lithuanian) who specialised in stealing (usually) JLR cars, using hi-tech gadgets capturing signals from remotes indoors. Good example of thorough policing after about 14 thefts in the Midlands. The gang got roughly the same sentence as the child-porn viewer, who actually had done little wrong as he was being scammed by Nigerians. That's justice at work.
Sorry about early thread drift :-(
Last edited by: Andrew-T on Wed 16 Sep 26 at 15:10
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"watching child porn on his phone." "who actually had done little wrong"
Really?
And yes, I did see the programme.
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>> "watching child porn on his phone." "who actually had done little wrong" >> Really? >>
The fact that you (and I) find it offensive is not the same as 'wrong' in my opinion. People get up to all kinds of things which we may not like, but often causing no harm to anyone else.
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Child porn is wrong. Full Stop.
The fact the man was being scammed is irrelevant. He didn't know he was being scammed but he did know he was watching a child being made to do something deeply unpleasant.
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>> The fact the man was being scammed is irrelevant. He didn't know he was being scammed but he did know he was watching a child being made to do something deeply unpleasant. >>
I was really commenting on the similarity between the sentences for the two rather different offences, plus Channel-4 publishing the identity of the miscreant, which could well lead to his home being attacked (whether or not he is in jail).
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>>He has not seen the GP but spoken to on the phone. He has not been told not to drive. The GP is seeking advice >>from the local hospital! Mid 80s - No history of the problem.
He's spoken to his GP and (hopefully) given them full details. In my book, it's down to the GP, who I reckon should be taking advice from the DVLA, not the hospital receptionist.
Last edited by: bathtub tom on Wed 16 Sep 26 at 15:04
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He was in hospital for a week. Based on personal experience doctors there should have advised him were he judged unsafe to drive. They may have included such advice in his discharge letter which would have gone to his GP.
I was told not to drive for at leaast 6 months. It is normally the responsibility of the individual to advise the DVLA. They did not withdraw my licence merely mark my record.
Six months on I asked DVLA medical team to review my case having had no further events. They were truly dilatory - eventually I sent them a letter recorded delivery giving them 2 weeks to rrespond after which I would resume driving. Never heard from them again.
Unless he has been explicitly advised not to drive, it is up to him. At age 80 he runs the risk that his licence may be permanently withdrawn. Getting it reinstated is likely anyway to be needlessly stressful.
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>> He was in hospital for a week. Based on personal experience doctors there should have
>> advised him were he judged unsafe to drive. They may have included such advice in
>> his discharge letter which would have gone to his GP.
I wonder whether the incident and hospitalisation being outwith UK has affected how the GP practice have handled it?
Are they sure, or at least convinced on balance of probability it actually was an (epileptic?) seizure or some other incident.
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My son, aged 26, was out for a run. He tripped and fell and banged his head. He was briefly unconscious. A passer-by called an ambulance and told the paramedics that he might have had a seizure.
He went to hospital and had dislocated his shoulder, among other things. He was told not to drive and DVLA were notified.
It took several months, and brain scans which the neurologist said showed no signs of any epilepsy, till he could get his licence back.
If it had been epilepsy, and he had continued to drive, he could have blacked out and caused an accident. Not worth the risk, for him or for other road users.
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I'm pretty sure he should not drive.
Cousin of Mrs B had a seizure and licence was suspended for some while.
I wonder if usual protocols are by passed as hospitalisation was outwith UK?
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>> My son, aged 26, was out for a run. He tripped and fell and banged his head. He was briefly unconscious. A passer-by called an ambulance and told the paramedics that he 'might have had a seizure'.............It took several months, and brain scans which the neurologist said showed no signs of any epilepsy, till he could get his licence back.>>
I think there must have been more to this than just an offhand comment that 'he might have had a seizure'. Depriving someone of their driving licence is not usually undertaken so lightly.
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Well my neighbour, despite having a seizure and in hospital for 7 days is out driving. His logic is he has not been told by the GP to stop driving and therefore still has a licence.
He knows he has had a seizure and goes out driving. It's a bit like having say 3 pints.
You might still feel fine but there is no way you should be driving.
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>> Well my neighbour, despite having a seizure and in hospital for 7 days is out
>> driving. His logic is he has not been told by the GP to stop driving
>> and therefore still has a licence.
>>
>> He knows he has had a seizure and goes out driving. It's a bit like
>> having say 3 pints.
>> You might still feel fine but there is no way you should be driving.
If you're concerned, report him. www.gov.uk/epilepsy-and-driving
Remember this case? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Glasgow_bin_lorry_crash
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>> Remember this case? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Glasgow_bin_lorry_crash>>
I do indeed. I wonder how much the subsequent prolonged exacerbation of legalosis cost the tax payers of Glasgow and the unfortunate families of the bereaved.
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>> Well my neighbour, despite having a seizure and in hospital for 7 days is out
>> driving. His logic is he has not been told by the GP to stop driving
>> and therefore still has a licence.
>>
>> He knows he has had a seizure and goes out driving. It's a bit like
>> having say 3 pints.
>> You might still feel fine but there is no way you should be driving.
Not only has his GP not advised him, I am assuming the various specialists under whose care he would have been in hospital have similarly made no comment about driving.
Whilst in hospital he would (no doubt) have had copious physical examinations, blood tests and scans, to identify the cause of the seizure so appropriate treatment could be given. None of which apparently caused specialists concern.
Arguably he has had a personal super MoT. He may well be in rather better health than half those on this forum!
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>> Not only has his GP not advised him, I am assuming the various specialists under
>> whose care he would have been in hospital have similarly made no comment about driving.
>>
>> Whilst in hospital he would (no doubt) have had copious physical examinations, blood tests and
>> scans, to identify the cause of the seizure so appropriate treatment could be given. None
>> of which apparently caused specialists concern.
>>
>> Arguably he has had a personal super MoT. He may well be in rather better
>> health than half those on this forum!
A few years ago I had an emergency admission to hospital with Cardiac issues. Over the next few weeks I had a number of follow up visits. At the time of admission I reckoned I shouldn't be driving, so voluntarily stopped.
None of the specialists advised me to stop driving or to notify DVLA. Neither did my GP, until I raised it with him. He looked it up on the DVLA website and it was down to me to notify the DVLA, which I did (this was 2 months after my initial admission, and I hadn't driven in the meantime). I got a reply, from the DVLA, acknowledging that I was fine to drive (think they checked with GP, but not 100% sure).
My point is the medical experts leave it to the driver to notify the DVLA.
The link I posted further up. www.gov.uk/epilepsy-and-driving
Epilepsy and driving
You must tell DVLA if you’ve had any epileptic seizures or blackouts.
You must stop driving straight away.
You can be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving. You may be prosecuted if you’re involved in an accident as a result.
Last edited by: TSI Owner on Sun 20 Sep 26 at 21:20
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Update
After looking at the information provided by the Spanish Hospital the local hospital has cleared the neighbour to drive. They had a phone call from the GP yesterday.
It appears that the fitting was brought on by the high temperatures in Spain.
The need for Holiday Travel Insurance has been underlined by the huge cost of the hospital, the return air fares, the nurse flown out to look after him on the flight home, accommodation costs etc for the extra week in Spain and even the £120 extra parking charges at the airport. No quibbles by the insurer (so far)
The cost of a week's travel insurance ( 2 x circa 80) was slightly more than the excess parking charge!
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>> It appears that the fitting was brought on by the high temperatures in Spain. <<
Predictive text can have odd results if you don't keep an eye on it .... :-)
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Alas, 2 weeks ago he was banned by DVLA even although the Spanish Tests / UK Consultant show no signs of epilepsy. High heat week in the Spanish sun?
Yesterday, I found out that the car has been sold and will be picked up by a dealer this week.
The car, Yaris GR Sport, is 3 years old, 15.5K on the clock - paid £21+K 18 months ago and sold price £15.6K. His son tried varied dealers locally & on-line and that was the best!
Dealer claims that his trade is suffering - 3 full-time sales people now working part-time - 1 per day Mon-Wed
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>> Alas, 2 weeks ago he was banned by DVLA even although the Spanish Tests /
>> UK Consultant show no signs of epilepsy. High heat week in the Spanish sun?
Not surprised by that.
Fitting of unknown cause, even if heat is suspected to be responsible, is going to have the driver's medical people going into caution mode.
Assume ban is not actually permanent and rather he's thrown in the towel.
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My neighbour has resigned himself to the fact that his driving days are over.
That's 2 neighbours banned from driving for health reasons in a month 85 & 84.
Both neighbours have wives with licences - only one actually drives these days.
We are not far from a town, a main road 100 yards away. There are at least 2 buses per hour all day.
Still long-standing neighbours can help for hospital visits etc can be covered. It's the mundane tasks that can be an issue.
I am off to the tip with garden rubbish on Monday, so neighbour's rubbish will be going with me.
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They could always get a garden wate collection from the. Council.
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We both pay £50 for 8 collections in a bin provided by council
Just now we are cutting back garden bushes, tidying etc for winter
£50 for 5/6 black bags of waste inc garden waste and it can be anytime in the 2 weeks. Waste must be in your front garden and visible from road.
It's a 3.5mile drive - booked 11am Monday and free! typically in/out in 10 mins. Well organized at their end
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In North Lanarkshire we still have open tips, sorry amenity sites, without any bookings.
My sister in West Lothian regularly visits the tip in Airdrie when she is through visiting my dad!
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>> We both pay £50 for 8 collections in a bin provided by council
£36 - I think - for a separate wheelie bin collected 26 times a year.
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>> Dealer claims that his trade is suffering - 3 full-time sales people now working part-time - 1 per day Mon-Wed >>
As my 205 will go to a new owner soon, SWMBO is looking for a small replacement (altho she never drove the 205 - no PAS) in which she will be able to see over the bonnet. A middle-aged Panda is a candidate, and must have electric (steerable) mirrors for emerging onto our main road, facing traffic - which means the top-level model, comically named Lounge. There aren't any for sale within 15 miles of here, and several others have been sold before an appointment to view can be made. So some dealers are making sales, it seems.
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tinyurl.com/2b749fhc
Andrew T very close to me I could have alook if you want, depends how far away YOU are,,
MOT history pretty good except for last one.
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>> Andrew T very close to me I could have a vlook if you want, depends how far away YOU are,
>> MOT history pretty good except for last one. >>
Thanks for that, ORB, but Colchester is a long way from Cheshire :-) A week ago there was just such a vehicle very near here with 102K on Ebay, which first showed a list price of £1500 and then turned into a normal auction. I don't know what it fetched, as I lost interest after the seller ignored three requests for location and more details. Anyway my daughter has just retired from Trading Standards and insists that I should NEVER buy a car from an Ebay seller !
>> Ours is a Lounge of 2018 vintage and doesn't have electric mirrors, not even heated, so make sure you ask the question before travelling <<
I think there may be some confusion about 'steerable' mirrors ? While looking at a newer Panda in St.Helens on Friday the trader thought I meant foldaway mirrors - no, electric movement of the glass, which I am pretty sure is standard on the Lounge. The giveaway is the absence of a manual knob on each door, and the presence of a rotating knob on the driver's door only. Not sure about heated glass, but a 64-plate Lounge up near Carlisle has a sliding sunroof and a whole lot of other bells and whistles. I may go for that if it hangs around ....
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"must have electric (steerable) mirror"
Ours is a Lounge of 2018 vintage and doesn't have electric mirrors, not even heated, so make sure you ask the question before travelling.
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>> Ours is a Lounge of 2018 vintage and doesn't have electric mirrors, not even heated, so make sure you ask the question before travelling. >>
Just received a copy of the 2012 Panda launch brochure : the standard Lounge then came with 'electrically adjustable, heated door mirrors'. I suppose those may have been deleted in later years, but that seems unlikely ?
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"that seems unlikely?"
Maybe, but that's the situation. A perusal of Autotrader will reveal some models from 2016 on have them, and some don't. As previously suggested, check before travelling.
Last edited by: ChrisM on Mon 19 Oct 26 at 18:30
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>> Maybe, but that's the situation. A perusal of Autotrader will reveal some models from 2016 on have them, and some don't. >>
I have perused AutoTrader, and have found one 67 car supporting your claim. Problem is that as those mirrors were originally 'standard' they are not always in any description, so it's hard to draw conclusions other than by looking closely at any photos. Some cars have very little description anyhow !
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"other than by looking closely at any photos."
And that formed the basis of my research.
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>> SWMBO is looking for a
>> small replacement (altho she never drove the 205 - no PAS)
That's how I got a Kia Pride for fifty quid. Owner's daughter wanted to learn to drive, 'but not in a car without power steering'. Never did the car need power steering.
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>> That's how I got a Kia Pride for fifty quid. Owner's daughter wanted to learn
>> to drive, 'but not in a car without power steering'. Never did the car need
>> power steering.
I don't know what the versions with small petrol engines and presumably narrower tyres were like but my two door base trim 205 diesel with no PAS was hard work parking.
As was a 1.6 petrol BX.
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The very second hand 205 GTi I bought around 1992 didn’t have power steering, and was a pig to park on the streets of Kew. I’m not sure my modifications helped…. In the interest of looks I had replaced the wheels with the much nicer looking ones from the 1.9 GTi. As standard the 1.6 came on 14” wheels, but the 1.9s were 15s - 185/55 rings a bell…. Different times!
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The 2 litre, six cylinder Triumph Vitesse I had in the early '70s didn't have PAS (or servo brakes for the front discs), but I was much younger then!
The Fiat Panda 750 certainly didn't need either.
The FIL's Volvo 360 (2 litre Renault lump up front) certainly cried out for PAS, even on skinny 155x13 tyres.
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>>The FIL's Volvo 360 (2 litre Renault lump up front)
The 2 litre was a Volvo engine: 1986 cc B19/B200 SOHC I4.
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>> >>The FIL's Volvo 360 (2 litre Renault lump up front)
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>> The 2 litre was a Volvo engine: 1986 cc B19/B200 SOHC I4.
My mistake. Was the 340 Renault?
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>>Was the 340 Renault?
Indeed it was. The 340 evolved from the Daf Daffodil, Daf 33 and Daf 66.
I drove 'em all - hated the rubber band CVT, but the 360 GLT was a whole different ball game, which I quite liked.
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>> the 360 GLT was
>> a whole different ball game, which I quite liked.
Don't know what the FIL's model was, but it had an oil leak from the camshaft oil seal which I offered to fix for him. Doesn't leak oil he said, so I asked why there was a large, oil sodden sheet of cardboard under the car, in the garage.
He wouldn't rev it above 2K (had the loudest piston slap I'd ever heard). I used to service and MOT it for him every couple of years. He wanted to come with me for an MOT and complained loudly when I took it down the bypass at 70MPH in third to warm it up!
I refused to let him park in my driveway because of the oil leak. He'd run it down the kerb to find where it was (that's how he'd park). Almost failed one MOT because they couldn't read the tyre markings on the sidewall!
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>>Don't know what the FIL's model was, but it had an oil leak from the camshaft oil seal which I offered to fix for him
Probably the Renault engine :) Rarely see oil leak stains on the drive these days, unlike cars of old!!
Don't hear the starter motors churning away on cold mornings, followed by the slamming of the car door and the bonnet going up either!
:o}
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>> Rarely see oil leak stains on the drive these days, unlike cars of old!! >>
So presumably those MINIs that use a lot of oil send it down the exhaust ?
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>>So presumably those MINIs that use a lot of oil send it down the exhaust ?
I'll have to check neighbs driveway - her MINI is parked there most days.
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>>I'll have to check neighbs driveway - her MINI is parked there most days.
No oil on her driveway at all at all, must be in the cat.
Lot of cats around here, as my English Pointer knows only too well!!
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Interesting question now we have catalysts.
My MX-5 pal across the road has a Mk1 that used to burn oil. You could smell it He first had the head reconditioned because he thought it might be valve guides/seals, and when that didn't fix it he had the engine rebuilt and the smell of burning oil has gone.
Not long after he did a track day and his son, who has had a bit of coaching, drove it very aggressively (confirmed by practically a full set of brake pads deposited on the wheels in dust form).
A few days after that it wouldn't run properly. Choked up at about 3000 rpm. AFter various theories and renewal of sensors etc. it turned out to be a blocked cat. The matrix had collapsed and bunged it up, but there was also a quantity of what looked like solidified lava in the pipe. The ceramic matrix wouldn't melt, so I guess it must have been the melted remains of burnt or unburnt oil that had accumulated in the cat over time.
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I mind years ago driving a friend's 340 or 360 and my memory tells me that it was, weirdly, a 1.7 engine!
Obviously my memory is deceiving me!
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>> I mind years ago driving a friend's 340 or 360 and my memory tells me
>> that it was, weirdly, a 1.7 engine!
I think the 1.4 did grow to 1.7, but the 360 was 2litre.
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>> >> I mind years ago driving a friend's 340 or 360 and my memory tells
>> me
>> >> that it was, weirdly, a 1.7 engine!
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>> I think the 1.4 did grow to 1.7, but the 360 was 2litre.
>>
The Volvo 340/360 was very popular with the older generation at the time , surprisingly comfortable etc but getting a bit boring compared to the newer designs of the day (80's) eg Vauxhall Astra/ Cavalier + Ford Escort. The 1.4 and 1.7 340 had Renault engines the 1.4 was particularly slow. The 2.0 360 had the much better proper Volvo engine - the best being the later fuel injected version.
In that era I had a few company cars such as mkII Astras, mkIII Escorts and a 1.3 Maestro! etc the Astra being my favorite and the Maestro was truly awful. The Volvo never seemed to be on the company car lists at the time. My last ever company car (pre career change!) was in the early 90's a Saab 9000cs turbo - amazing car!
Last edited by: BigJohn on Mon 26 Oct 26 at 17:06
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>> The very second hand 205 GTi I bought around 1992 didn’t have power steering, and was a pig to park on the streets of Kew. >>
As we seem to have drifted onto PAS : for several years SWMBO enjoyed driving one of the first 205 Dturbos. Naturally it was second-hand - I think it had been a motability car - and luckily it had PAS, but also wind-up windows. A friend had a similar car but the owner had chosen the opposite options. Not clever !
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>> Dealer claims that his trade is suffering - 3 full-time sales people now working part-time
>> - 1 per day Mon-Wed
>>
Well he would say that when you are selling and no doubt the opposite if you are buying.
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>> Yesterday, I found out that the car has been sold and will be picked up
>> by a dealer this week.
>>
>> The car, Yaris GR Sport, is 3 years old, 15.5K on the clock - paid
>> £21+K 18 months ago and sold price £15.6K. His son tried varied dealers locally &
>> on-line and that was the best!
>>
>> Dealer claims that his trade is suffering - 3 full-time sales people now working part-time
>> - 1 per day Mon-Wed
The dealer will have to do some prep and has to pay for staff and overheads. Suspect the dealer will try to sell the car between £18k & £19k. In that context the car has held it's value quite well.
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Can he drive? - ORB>>>
