Ant Mcpartlin Arrested On Suspicion Of Drink-Driving.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5516183/Ant-McPartlin-arrested-drink-driving.html

[bhg481]

Good link Margo, thanks - that states that the optician can break the confidentiality rules if it's in the public interest, so my optician could have reported her.
I have also checked and depression has to be declared to DVLA if your doctor thinks it will affect your driving.

[kvalidir]

'It should be a private discussion between you and docs, and not one for the law.'

You do understand that we have laws because they are designed to act in the interests of the majority don't you, and frankly when there is a likelihood of someone being such a liability to themselves and other people that their 'depression' is used as an excuse to drive when drunk, that is precisely when we ought to have laws and not a quick chat with a 'doc'.

[bhg481]

There is a law which states that if your doctor feels that you have depression to such a degree that it may affect your driving you must tell the DVLA. Your doctor (unlike your optician) is bound by confidentiality rules so cannot tell the DVLA; YOU have to do, with a £1000 fine lurking if you don't.

[Garaman]

Every one of us has a responsibility to make sure we are fit to get behind a wheel. The only possible excuse for being unfit is a medical condition one wasn't aware of.

[bhg481]

I think it's interesting that drink/drugs are tested for automatically after an accident but eyesight isn't. Many conditions eg, depression, aren't easy to test at the roadside but eyesight is, so why not?

[bhg481]

You're missing the point spath - if your doctor says you shouldn't drive, for any reason, it is YOUR responsibility to inform the DVLA who MAY withdraw your licence. It is then on record that it is illegal for you to drive. I'm not suggesting a law which states that it's illegal to drive if you have depression, I'm stating that there is a law which makes it illegal to drive if your doctor states your depression is bad enough to affect your driving. If Ant had been advised not to drive because of his depression he was breaking the law; if he hadn't he can't use his depression as an excuse for what he did.

[Baldric]

///he can't use his depression as an excuse for what he did///

Where did he do that then?

[bhg481]

Baldric - andy-hughes at 14:04 sort of suggested it; it wasn't Ant using it as an excuse.

[hereIam]

spath - who said it wouldn't be aired ?

[kvalidir]

No-one 'took the depression ball and roilled it' Spath- andy Hughes settled on something I had said about having sympathy for his depression but zero tolerance fr drink drivers and implied that he might have been drink driving because self destructive behaviour can be an element of depression, to which others including myself, disagreed and said IF that is the case then people so affected should not be permitted to drive. Stop trying to misrepresent what others are saying to suit yourself.

[Baldric]

bhg, ah, ok, I don't bother with his posts anymore, too much Deja vu involved for my liking.

[Georgiesmum]

Im afraid I have no sympathy for him. Why didnt he get a cab?