Thousands of drivers could be at risk of a penalty fine for failing to disclose their health conditions to the DVLA.

That's according to official guidelines which state you must report conditions such as epilepsy and bizarrely, déjà vu, to the Government agency.

In fact, keeping them hidden could leave you liable for prosecution and even a £1,000 fine.

"There are some conditions that seem too unrelated to even consider spending the time to fill out a form to tell the DVLA about," explain motoring experts at LeaseCar.

But in fact the reality couldn't be further from the truth.

The DVLA states that having a health condition such as sleep apnoea or even anxiety, could affect your driving and put you at risk.

"If you suffer a broken limb or severe head injury that affects your memory or ability to perform everyday tasks, you’re also probably not going to be able to operate a vehicle safely either.

“In these cases, it seems obvious that you’d have to let the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency know about it."

Déjà vu

The duty lies with the motorist to inform the DVLA of these potentially significant issues

Bizarrely, the Government lists déjà vu as one of the health conditions that could affect your driving.

While most people regard déjà vu as a common experience, it is also associated with certain types of epilepsy – and in extreme cases could be a neurological anomaly related to epileptic electrical discharge in the brain.

If you suffer from a form of medically induced déjà vu, you will need to inform the DVLA.


Labyrinthitis is a common inner ear infection that causes a delicate structure deep inside your ear (the labyrinth) to become inflamed.

Symptoms can vary in severity, but usually get better after a few weeks. They can include mild headaches, some hearing loss, ear pain and vertigo.

However, in some cases the symptoms can last longer and have a significant impact on your ability to carry out everyday tasks, so you should let the DVLA know.

Sleep Apnoea

However unrelated it may feel, the DVLA says it must be reported

Sleep Apnoea is a relatively common condition where the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep, interrupting normal breathing.

This may lead to regularly interrupted sleep, which can have a big impact on your quality of life, increase the risk of developing certain conditions, and even cause you to fall asleep at the wheel - which is incredibly dangerous.

It’s in these severe cases that you should get in contact with your GP/consultant for further advice and consider informing the DVLA.

Eating disorders

One of the side effects to suffering from an eating disorder could be feeling weak and dizzy.

You must tell the DVLA if you suffer from an eating disorder (e.g. anorexia nervosa) and it affects your ability to drive safely. Speak to your doctor is you are unsure.


Arthritis is a common condition that causes pain and inflammation in the joints - and in the UK around 10million people suffer from it.

It can affect people of all ages, including children, and as the most commonly affected joints are those in the hands, spine, knees and hips – which obviously you all need full use of to be able to sit in a car and drive safely – so you should tell the DVLA if your condition affects your driving and has lasted more than three months.

Heart conditions, diabetes, a brain condition or severe head injury

It's no secret that having these conditions can be risky to both your health, other road users and even pedestrians.

If you’re experiencing symptoms after a heart condition, or your doctor says you have ‘poor contractility’ of the heart muscle, you must stop driving while DVLA investigates.

You can find out more on this here.