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Driving after surgery

You must be able to control the steering wheel and other controls at all times: this means both during routine driving, but also when performing emergency maneuvers. Driving advice given on this website may help your planning, but it is your responsibility as the driver to contact your insurer and to ensure you are fit to drive your car. Guidance from the DVLA is available. An excerpt is presented below.

‘Licence holders wishing to drive after surgery should establish with their own doctors when it is safe to do so. Any decision regarding returning to driving must take into account several issues. These include recovery from the surgical procedure, recovery from anaesthesia, the distracting effect of pain, impairment due to analgesia (sedation and cognitive impairment), as well as any physical restrictions due to the surgery, underlying condition, or other co-morbid conditions. It is the responsibility of the driver to ensure that he/she is in control of the vehicle at all times and to be able to demonstrate that is so, if stopped by the police. Drivers should check their insurance policy before returning to drive after surgery.’