A lot has happened in recent days stir for publication list of diseases with the help of which General Directorate of Road Traffic of Spain (DGT) won’t let us take off driver license starting in 2025. The truth is that the list is alarming, as it includes common diseases such as celiac disease, hypothyroidism or asthma. As many users immediately criticized, at this rate no one will be able to drive a car. However, the key to understanding this is that this list of diseases does not correspond to reality.
It is true that the DGT has published a list of groups of illnesses that may affect the ability to drive and that may be taken into account when obtaining or renewing a driving licence from 2025. This is described in detail in Appendix IV Drivers’ rules published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). However, it is not as simple as a list of diseases.
The appendix talks about groups of diseases that need to be controlled. This applies, for example, to metabolic, cardiovascular or respiratory diseases, among others. Within these groups, there are pathologies that can affect our driving ability, but this must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. It is not that simple: if you have asthma, you will never be able to drive again. On the other hand, it should be noted that some diseases from this supposed list, such as celiac disease, are not even mentioned. This is nothing more than a hoax, so let’s see what DGT says.
There is no list of diseases, but there are groups of pathologies.
Appendix IV of the Rules for Drivers lists 12 groups of diseases or symptoms: vision problems, hearing problems, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, kidney diseases, mental disorders, motor skills, substance use disorders, diseases of the nervous and muscular systems, hematological disorders, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, as well as metabolic and endocrine diseases.
All this in general includes a very wide range of diseases. However, not all of them interfere with drivingAccording to the DGT, it is expected that the psychotechnical tests will be accompanied by medical reports guaranteeing the ability to drive a car. And that if additional measures have to be taken, they will be carried out accordingly.
For example, not all people with vision problems will be prohibited from driving. It is logical that a blind person cannot do this. But a person with nearsightedness can, if he wears glasses. This This is what needs to be certified.. This is not news, the topic of vision has been discussed for a long time. Now there are just more cases.
We can see this very well in the example cardiovascular diseases. In the table in Appendix IV, we see heart failure in the first place. It is stated in detail that an exceptional driving license is not accepted. However, for a regular driving license, which most of the population has, you just need to take into account a few factors. In particular, it is necessary to prove that “there are no changes with objective or functional signs of decompensation or syncope.”
At the same time, “if it is combined with arrhythmias, they will be assessed according to the relevant sections.” And this is what for arrhythmias There are conditions, too. For example, for ventricular arrhythmias, “tachycardia with a history of syncope or limiting symptoms secondary to syncope, as well as sustained ventricular tachycardia with structural heart disease, are not allowed.” However, a cardiologist’s report indicating that effective treatment exists may even allow an extraordinary driver’s license.
A concrete example
If we look at the list of diseases that circulate on the Internet, we will see, for example, asthma. If this is true, it should be listed in the respiratory section of Appendix IV. If we look, we see that there are three groups that need to be studied: dyspnea, obstructive sleep apnea, or other conditions. dyspnea It’s a feeling of shortness of breath. One of the symptoms of asthma. Does this mean that no one with asthma can drive? The truth is, it doesn’t mean that.
In this section of the application we see that “there should be no persistent shortness of breath at rest or with mild exertion.” Someone with asthma, but who only has sporadic attacks and breathe normally, you will not be banned from driving a car.
What is the DGT looking for in all this?
The new DGT rules aim to conduct more thorough investigations to find diseases that could make driving difficultputting the driver, his companions and people he may meet on the road at risk.
It is true that there are many medical conditions that can affect our reflexes or ability to concentrate. These need to be taken into account and take the necessary measures. Also, there is no list of specific diseases like the one circulating on the Internet. If this were real, it is clear that pollution levels would be significantly reduced because virtually no one would be able to drive. But this is not the case. Now we have to see what the intentions of those who circulated this list are. They can be intuitively understood, but we will leave that for another time.
Source: Hiper Textual
