More than 200,000 people may be waiting for medical assessment for driving licences because of queues for GP services, the British Medical Association says today.

Many people are turning to independent doctors to get assessments – but the BMA says this could lead to unfit people getting clearance to drive. It has called on the government to tighten up the rules to ensure assessments are given by doctors with access to medical records.

The union also called for action to prevent desperate applicants from making repeated calls to practices. The queue consists of HGV lorry drivers – many trying to renew licences – and other drivers required to prove fitness to drive. The BMA has now written to a government minister, Baroness Vere of Norbiton, arguing that self reporting, through an independent doctor, is “neither sensible nor safe.”

Dr Peter Holden, chair of the BMA’s professional fees committee, said: “We know that some of these drivers, aware of the current DVLA backlog, are bypassing the queue at their own GP practice and going to third party registered medical practitioners. The issue here is that only an individual’s GP practices has access to a patient’s full medical record so only they know whether or not that person is fit to drive.

“By seeking ‘sign off’ from an independent practitioner, who only has the patient’s word to go by, there’s a risk that medical conditions may be, either intentionally or unintendedly, understated and this has already had a grave impact on road safety. With this in mind, the Government must ensure that there is a process in place to involve an applicant’s GP. It is also important that the Government and DVLA are honest with the public regarding just how long this backlog will take to clear so that expectations are managed, and patients do not start making multiple calls to their GP practice while they wait for medical assessments.”

• The concerns follow a continuing dispute about GPs’ role in certifying people as fit to hold a firearms licence. Following the mass shooting in Plymouth, the government has stated that licences will only be issued when GPs have certified patients as fit to hold them.

The BMA said it was concerned about resources to undertake this work – but that it has ethical concerns about practices holding data on holders of firearms. This could require doctors to report patients with a new diagnosis of concern.

Dr Mark Sandford-Wood, from the BMA, said: “The new statutory guidance needs to be published without further delay; it’s something the BMA is more than keen to see because, if correctly drafted and properly applied, it should support a system of firearms licensing that allows only the most suitable candidates to hold a license and most importantly, help keep all of us safe.”