wpeB.jpg (25751 bytes)

        216-844-3100

Home

TN00896_.gif (1867 bytes)Driver Information by State Every state regulates driver's license eligibility of persons with certain medical conditions. The most common requirement for people with epilepsy is that they be seizure free for a specific period of time and submit a physician's evaluation of their ability to drive safely. Another common requirement is the periodic submission of medical reports, in some states for a specified period of time and in others for as long as the person remains licensed.

You cannot predict when seizures will occur.

Do not put yourself and others on the road at risk by driving without the legal right to do so!

Driving and epilepsy

If you have seizures that alter your awareness, consciousness, or muscle control, you may not have the legal right to drive.

·          Laws vary from state to state, but in most cases you have to be seizure-free for at least 6 months to 1 year before getting a driver's license.

·          The laws of the state you live in, not your doctor, decide whether or not you have the right to drive. Your doctor should be able to tell you what the current laws are and whether you meet the criteria for driving.

·          Before getting a license, you may have to provide proof from your doctor that you are receiving treatment and that the treatment has brought your seizures under control. (Remember, too, that some drugs used to control epilepsy may make you drowsy. If you have just started a new drug, avoid driving until you know how the drug will affect you.)

In general, the risk of having a seizure-related traffic accident is greatly reduced in people who have been seizure-free for 12 months. Driving may be safe for some people with epilepsy after a shorter seizure-free period, depending on individual circumstances. People who always have an aura before a seizure begins are also at reduced risk; the aura acts as a warning, which may give a driver time to pull over before the seizure begins. Not taking antiepileptic medication as prescribed (missing a dose, for instance) increases the risk of having an accident, so it is especially important for people with epilepsy who choose to drive to take their medication correctly and on the proper schedule.1

The laws about who can drive may seem unfair. Not having the legal right to drive may rob you of your sense of independence. It can limit your school and career choices, affect your social and leisure activities, and make basic needs of daily living harder to meet.

The laws are there to protect you and others, however. If you have a seizure while driving a car without a license and cause an accident, your insurance company may not cover damages or injuries. Worse, you may hurt or kill yourself or others. Click HERE for a link to the Epilepsy Foundation's site that will allow you to search their database of state laws. If this link doesn't work- cut and paste this link into your navigation bar: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/Social/driving/statedrivinglaws.cfm

Articles on this issue:

  1. Driving: relation to seizure type. Neurology, 37:1613-6, 1987 Oct.
  2. Hansotia P Broste SK: The effect of epilepsy or diabetes mellitus on the risk of automobile accidents
  3. N Engl J Med, 324:22-6, 1991 Jan 3. Hansotia P: Epilepsy and driving regulations in Wisconsin. Epilepsia, 35:685-7, 1994.
  4. Hansotia P: Automobile driving and epilepsy: a medical perspective. Wis Med J, 90:112-5, 1991.
  5. Hasegawa S Kumagai K Kaji S: Epilepsy and driving: a survey of automobile accidents attributed to seizure. Jpn J Psychiatry Neurol, 45:327-31, 1991 Jun.
  6. Hebenstreit GF: Neurologic and psychiatric diseases and driving fitness with special reference to seizure disorders and alcoholism Blutalkohol, 23:179-94, 1986 May.
  7. Kingham LA: Driving and epilepsy: changing the law in Maryland. Epilepsia, 35:693-5, 1994.
  8. Korczyn AD: Epilepsy and driving letter Neurology, 38:997, 1988 Jun.
  9. Krumholz A Fisher RS Lesser RP Hauser WA: Driving and epilepsy. A review and reappraisal JAMA, 265:622-6, 1991 Feb 6.
  10. Krumholz A: Driving and epilepsy: a historical perspective and review of current regulations. Epilepsia, 35:668-74, 1994 May-Jun.
  11. Lietz S: Assessment of automobile driving fitness in epilepsy Z Arztl Fortbild (Jena), 82:613-5, 1988.
  12. Novak AJAndermann F Remillard GM Zifkin BG Trottier AG Drouin P: Epilepsy and driving   Can J Neurol Sci, 15:371-7, 1988.
  13. Deligny J Tollemer R: Epilepsy and automobile driving Acta Med Leg Soc (Liege), 38:177-82, 1988. Dickey W Morrow JI:
  14. Epilepsy and driving: attitudes and practices among patients attending a seizure clinic. J R Soc Med, 86:566-8, 1993 Oct.
  15. Fisher RS Krumholz A: Driving and epilepsy. Md Med J, 37:795-8, 1988 Oct.
  16. Fisher RS Parsonage M Beaussart M Bladin P Masland R Sonnen AE Remillard G: Epilepsy and driving: an international perspective. Joint Commission on Drivers' Licensing of the International Bureau for Epilepsy and the International League Against Epilepsy. Epilepsia, 35:675-84, 1994.
  17. Fritz VU: Recommendations regarding driving after a single seizure editorial S Afr Med J, 77:493-4, 1990 May 19.
  18. Fukushima Y: Discussion on the 'problem of driving license for people with epilepsy'. Jpn J Psychiatry Neurol, 45:333-5, 1991 Jun.
  19. Gastaut JL: Epilepsy and daily life. Scholarship, profession, leisure activities and sports, automobile driving Soins, :29-30, 1990 Sep.
  20. Gastaut H Zifkin BG: The risk of automobile accidents with seizures occurring while : Driving and epilepsy: the effects of medication [letter ;comment] JAMA, 265:2961-2, 1991 Jun 12.
  21. O'Brien SJ: The controversy surrounding epilepsy and driving: a review. Public Health, 100:21-7, 1986 Jan.
  22. Popkin CL Waller PF: Epilepsy and driving in North Carolina: an exploratory study. Accid Anal Prev, 21:389-93, 1989 Aug.
  23. Salinsky MC Wegener K Sinnema F: Epilepsy, driving laws, and patient disclosure to physicians. Epilepsia, 33:469-72, 1992 May-Jun.
  24. Salvati CA: Driving and epilepsy: a physician's dilemma editorial Am Fam Physician, 50:773-4, 1994 Sep 15.
  25. Seigel AM: Driving and epilepsy. The case for reform in Connecticut. Conn Med, 52:70-1, 1988.
  26. Sharp GB: Driving and epilepsy: the state of the matter. J Ark Med Soc, 91:222-4, 1994 Oct. S
  27. pudis EV Penry JK Gibson P: Driving impairment caused by episodic brain dysfunction. Restrictions for epilepsy and syncope. Arch Neurol, 43:558-64, 1986 Jun.
  28. Takeda A Kawai I Fukushima Y Yagi K: Driving and epilepsy: a prospective questionnaire survey in Japan. Committee on Driver's Licenses, the Japan Epilepsy Society, Shizuoka. Jpn J Psychiatry Neurol, 45:319-22, 1991 Jun.
  29. Thorbecke R: Epilepsy and driving licence in the Federal Republic of Germany and other European countries. Jpn J Psychiatry Neurol, 45:313-7, 1991 Jun.
  30. Walsh DJ: Epilepsy and driving privileges. Kans Med, 88:81-3, 97, 1987 Mar. Wendt U Scholz KH: Fitness for automobile driving of patients at an epilepsy outpatient care unit Psychiatr Neurol Med Psychol (Leipz), 38:728-32, 1986 Dec.