More than 360,000 UK drivers (363,280) have had their driving licences revoked for medical reasons in the past five years, according to DVLA data analysed by car selling comparison website Motorway.co.uk.
Numbers peaked in 2018, with 73,724 driving licences medically revoked. Over 300,000 motorcycle and car drivers (307,414) have had their licences revoked on medical grounds since the start of 2014, while 55,866 lorry or bus drivers have had licences cancelled.
So far this year, more than 40,000 UK drivers (42,467) have had their driving licences revoked on medical grounds.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request made to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) in August 2019 by Motorway.co.uk, reveals that 36,310 car or motorcycle licences (Group 1) and 6,157 lorry or bus licences (Group 2) have been medically revoked in 2019 to date.
Of these, almost two-thirds (65%) of drivers were 50 years old or over. More than 800 teenage drivers (829) have had their licences medically revoked.
Alcohol (5,450) is the most common reason for the DVLA to medically revoke a driving licence. More than 7,000 drivers (7,159) have had their driving licences cancelled this year for seizures or blackouts.
Just under 3,000 motorcycle or car drivers (2,865) have had their licences revoked in the past 18 months for sleep related conditions, including narcolepsy.
And worryingly, DVLA figures on larger vehicles reveal that almost 1,000 bus or lorry drivers (920) have had their licences revoked over the past 18 months because of blackouts or a sleep condition.
If a driver has their licence revoked on medical grounds, they can reapply for their licence once their doctor says they meet the medical standards for driving.
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