DVLA warns drivers with medical conditions could be required to wait longer to obtain their license due to a backlog caused by the Covid-19 virus.
A report released by the National Audit Office found that processing of standard driving licenses are back to normal however there are delays for applications from those who have medical ailments. This is because a lot of applications from people with medical conditions are still based on paper.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency ( DVLA ) was able to process online applications even though employees were working at a distance during the pandemic but this wasn’t possible for paper-based applications.
The DVLA typically makes 90% of licensing decision within 90 days. However, this deadline was suspended beginning in April 2020. The difficulty in getting medical information from doctors or other health professionals information that the DVLA must consider when making the licensing decision on – have contributed to the delay.
Gareth Davies, head of the NAO and NAO, explained: “The DVLA was not in a position to process paper-based licence applications, while COVID-19 restrictions hindered some of its employees from working at its premises and resulting in an overflow of work.
“Most licences are currently getting processed in the timeframes expected However, those who have medical issues continue to wait longer than they normally do.
“While the digital strategy of the DVLA is to make the process of applying more efficient, the complete advantages of this are three to five years away.”
The DVLA has taken a variety of measures to cut down on the number of applications they were receiving and to improve the capacity of its staff members to operate on site to process papers-based applications for licences.
This also included amending legislation to allow automatic extension of all driving licenses for 11 months. It also changed the law to allow vocational licence holders who could not arrange an examination for medical reasons and must undergo every five years starting at when they reach the age 45 to get a one-year license.
This follows an additional warning was issued to drivers warned about counterfeit Highway Code guidebooks. According to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has cautioned that the fakes are almost identical with the original Highway Code – except they contain false information on road safety.
A DVLA spokesperson stated: “As the NAO report acknowledges that our online services performed effectively throughout the outbreak, with the majority of digital applications for driving licences that are ordinary in nature completed within three days. Between April 2020 and September 2022, the DVLA issued over 24 million driver licenses which was the majority of these were issued with no delay.
