Driving and arrhythmias

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has asked us to update a point in this editorial by Helen Binns and John Camm (20 April, pp 927-8). The current standard requires only a two year (not five year, as stated in the article) moratorium on driving after an incapacitating event in relation to implanted cardioverter defibrillators. This new advice was published in December 2001 both in the panel minutes of the November panel meeting and in the DVLA handbook, At a Glance Guide to the Current Medical Standards of Fitness to Drive. Both these documents are available on the DVLA's website (www.dvla.gov.uk).