Driving and Epilepsy

Every State Department of Motor Vehicles regulates under which conditions a person is allowed to drive and there are 50 variations of them! The most difficult part of the regulation is the time required to be seizure free before being able to obtain a license. As of 1990 twenty-seven states required a one year long period before being able to apply. Arizona is more liberal with requiring only a three month seizure-free period before being able to obtain a drivers license.

All but three states, that I am aware of, make keeping that license dependant on periodical exams and doctors reports. Most states also demand that a doctor report immeadiately any patients which have a seizure disorder. Unfortunately many people who are aware of these rules do not seek the treatment they need because of this. Also in several states a doctors license may be revoked by the state if he does not report his patient. Putting both the patient and the doctor in a spot.

In Wisconsin part of the responsibility is put onto the driver to monitor his/her own condition. Making that person more aware of the need for taking their medication and surrounding circumstances which may alter thier percepction and result in an accicdent. This shifts the liability off the physician and onto the patient.

Because the restrictions vary greatly for each state there are too much to be covered here, but if you contact either your local DMV or the Epilepsy Foundation of America they can send you an in depth pamphlet on what is required by both you and your physician. If you are an epileptic who is driving be sure to follow these rules and never take a chance that you are driving under unsafe conditions.

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