EPILEPSY AND DRIVING

A survey was made of driving habits of 103 epileptic patients who, having suffered a seizure, were picked up by the Wellington Free Ambulance Service. It was found that 21 (20%) subjects were driving a motor vehicle--for nine this was necessary for their employment; 57% of drivers with epilepsy reported that the Ministry of Transport had not been informed of their epilepsy. For three subjects a driving accident was a direct result of their seizure. Forty-three percent of subjects in this study claimed never to have had any professional advice about driving. Of the 21 subjects who continued to drive, 13 were receiving inadequate drug therapy at the time of seizure. Advice and drug therapy for epileptic patients therefore required regular review. We consider that the Ministry of Transport should issue a simple statement about epilepsy and driving which should explain the law, risks, precipitating factors for epilepsy, and the need for good drug control. This should be issued to doctors and also be available for those applying for a driving licence.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00288446
• Corporate Authors:

  Allied Press Limited

  P.O. Box 181
  Dunedin,   New Zealand 
• Authors:
  • Stanaway, L
  • Johnson, R H
  • Lambie, D G
• Publication Date: 1983-7-13

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 525-528
• Serial:
  • New Zealand Medical Journal
  • Volume: 96
  • Issue Number: 735
  • Publisher: New Zealand Medical Association
  • ISSN: 0028-8446
  • EISSN: 1175-8716
  • Serial URL: http://journal.nzma.org.nz/journal/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash causes; Drivers; Driving; Education; Epilepsy; Hazards; Laws; Physicians; Risk assessment; Traffic crashes
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00392781
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-037 500
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 28 1985 12:00AM