Do you think driving laws are fair with regards to epilepsy?

[lureswinger]

The laws towards epilepsy and driving are the same over here in the uk which is why i dont know why this woman hasnt been arrested for premeditated murder or killed herself as lets face it a 500cc motorbike heading sideways towards a school crossing is a far bigger weapon than any shotgun

[dumbspouse]

Me personally I don't think it's fair since there are people out there under the influence of whatever is in their bodies. Most of us are required to carry insurance. My wife has tried the driving, but her and I are not comfortable with her reaction time. So we decided not to push it. She had her last partial in 2007, but the last EEG from last year still shows seizure activity.

[acshuman]

There are many people, who have very severe conditions, who seem to be allowed to drive, no matter what their condition is.
I have seen elderly people who have been so slow in reaction time that they don't realize they can do something(such as advance from a Stop Sign). Such as, there actually is a vehicle NOW in their path that were 1/2 mile away, but by the time the elderly person figures this out the vehicle that was 1/2 mile away is in front of them, but the elderly person doesn't realize it!
The number of accidents would drop significantly if these people would have their licenses taken away. It just seems as though everybody is supposed to accept the fact that these sub-par drivers have to be allowed to stay on they road while driving.
You know that one of the big reasons that this is happening is because revoking these licenses could be detrimental to some political careers!

[stilldancing_98]

I have never been able to drive thank the Lord. Because I and several of other people would be dead by now. I was really down in the dumps for a long time. But now I think of it as a blessing . I have a store down the street that I can go to , if I need food. A rite Aid or wall greens a block away. Busses I can take if I need to pick up scrips. And somebody in my family will always help me. Besides, it keeps the air cleaner for our children.Love you All. Teresa

[maipoina911]

considering in Rhode Island the law is 18 months, no, I don't think this is fair.

[acshuman]

The biggest factor in the way that driving rights are dealt with is: Many times what has happened to a person is happening for the first time. They never knew that they had this problem. When they are considering E, they wouldn't be real harsh on a person IF the driving problem they has was the result of the FIRST time a seizure of any type had taken place. Their ways of dealing with a person who had a seizure are going to be very 'safety first', as they SHOULD be, if the person who has any type of seizure has a problem while on the road. They will be correct in their way of thinking if the person who had the problem was aware of a previous seizure problem, whether it had taken place on the road or not.
This is why they set up the requirements that they set up! These requirements have to be followed or there may be consequences to the person w/E's driving privileges.
If a person really thinks closely about this they should be able to see that the rules are looking out for everyone's safety, NOT to be hurtful to people who have E.
I have seen too many people try to circumvent these rules to keep their driver's privileges, and that can't be allowed to happen! I have had 45 years to think about having my DL.
Only after some serious thinking did I realize that I was NOT the person being treated improperly. I was the person NOT thinking of the danger other people would be in if I was on the road driving! Anybody who has E AND a DL has to also think about everybody, NOT just themselves!

AcsHuman

[Topcat]

Here nobody "took" my license (I keep it as a form of I.D.) I doubt if anyone would know if I drove or not but I know in my own mind that doing so would just be a disaster waiting to happen. Therefore I don't.

[opusde1988]

I can understand why laws are written to protect people. But when you live a city that ranks low on walkability and hardly any public transportation, its can be down right frustrating. My job is less than 5 miles from my house and I never exceed 35 mph.

[Freda]

It's a year seizure free over here and then you have to have written permission from your neurologist too. I think that's fair and with something like a car even a 10 mph speed out of control can easily kill pedestrians as well as the driver. You have to surrender your licence here also and if you need ID use something else, like a passport or actual ID card.

[resaebiunne]

Driving is a priviledge, not a right.

Actually, the US Supreme Court has ruled that all US Citizens have the right to use the public highways. It has also been argued in a few states that state drivers licenses are unnecessary for ordinary citizens who are not using public roads for profitable uses.
http://www.lawfulpath.com/ref/DLbrief.shtml

So please don't be so quick to state that "driving is a privilege", my tax dollars paid for those roads (which I don't even get to use).

[seagull]

I always thought a little comments sense Evey individual different plus we know what we got and having treatment so properly safer.
Since I found out some register blind can still drive not sure want go on long trip with them then if you controlled I see no problem

[Mdwall]

I'd wager there are quite a few more people out there without e that need to stay off the road than there are people with e that actually do

[alivenwell]

Even with completely controlled E, complete inexperience at driving can be a factor. One has to learn how to drive, how to watch out for others on the road, take the right route and look for any unknown factors.
I use GPS a lot. I also ride a bike a lot. The question is interesting because our society encourages exercise, yet the sides of some roads are nonexistent for a bike, pavements are missing, and we sometimes have to go to places like everybody else. Looks like taxis, Uber, public transportation and friends are the best way to go somewhere. The good side: one never goes alone in a car. I rarely drive because I find there are too many rude people on the road. Walking across a roadway is like taking one's life. People who recklessly drive need to be taken off the roads.

Maybe we need to bring back horses. They are friendly to our gardens, eat our grass and can be therapeutic. I'd probably ride a buggy pulled by one rather than ride one.

They are coming out with self driving cars. Hopefully they will be free of computer malware and be able to detect the environment for a safe ride.