The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has confirmed a comprehensive list of nine common prescription medications that can lead to automatic driving bans. These everyday drugs can severely impair a person's ability to operate a vehicle safely.
Legal Framework
It is illegal to drive if you are unfit due to legal or illegal drugs, or if you have certain levels of illegal drugs in your blood, even if they have not affected your driving. The DVLA states: "It's illegal in England, Scotland, and Wales to drive with legal drugs in your body if it impairs your driving. It's an offence to drive if you have over the specified limits of certain drugs in your blood and you have not been prescribed them."
Background of the Legislation
In 2012, the then-Conservative government announced a new offence regarding driving with a specific controlled drug in the body above the accepted limit. The aim was to reduce the expense, effort, and time wasted on prosecutions that fail due to difficulties in proving drug impairment. On March 2, 2015, regulations came into force in England and Wales, adding eight prescription and eight illicit drugs. Regulations on amphetamine followed on April 14, 2015.
Full List of Prescription Medications
The DVLA advises drivers to consult their doctor about whether they should drive if prescribed any of the following:
- Amphetamines such as Dexamphetamine and Selegiline
- Clonazepam
- Diazepam
- Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol, rarely prescribed but heavily restricted)
- Lorazepam (Ativan, used for severe anxiety)
- Methadone (used for opioid dependency recovery)
- Morphine or opioid-based drugs like Codeine, Tramadol, and Fentanyl
- Oxazepam
- Temazepam
If you drive while taking prescription medicine, it may be helpful to keep evidence of this with you in case you are stopped by the police.
