Expert: Mary Gordon - 10/28/2008

Question
My dad is 74 years old, has epilepsy and takes anti-seizure medication.
He has been seizure-free for over 5 years, but I worry about his driving,
because he could be a danger to himself and others. Besides asking him
not to drive under certain conditions, e.g. at night, is there anything else
I can do to protect him and other drivers?

Answer
Hi Gene, you don't mention if your father has any form of dementia (which I have to ask, given that you've asked an Alzheimer's expert for advice about driving!!).

If you are just concerned about the epilepsy, in many places, it is a legal requirement for the doctor to report him to the licensing authority if there is any reason to suspect he may be a danger to himself or others behind the wheel.  The usual drill then is to either put restrictions on the license, make them take a test again, or pull it outright.

My mother in law, for example, got reported by her family physician in early Alzheimer's. At that point, her driving was limited to local outings. However, he did have a good point, since reaction time, emotional control, ability to reason, judgement, muscular control, depth perception etc. are all affected early in the disease, and they are clearly things you need to be able to drive safely. The MTO (Transport Ministry here in Ontario) sent her a letter, giving her a time frame by which she could either retake both the written and the road test, or give up her license. We got her the study book (the rules of the road), but that was enough to finish her off - I think she knew she couldn't pass the written test, never mind the road test, so that was the end of that. We quickly sold her car so she wouldn't be tempted, and got her an account with a local cab company where we took care of the bills so she didn't have to think about that part.

Even if your father just has health issues, and not dementia, you are right to be concerned, because although driving is important for independence, it certainly isn't a right. It is a priviledge based on the person have the physical, mental and emotional capabilities to do so safely (after all, hurting himself is one thing - hurting others is worse!!).

Here is a good article that will give you some ideas on how to assess your father's situation.
http://www.helpguide.org/elder/senior_citizen_driving.htm

The AARP driver education program is worth looking into.
http://www.aarp.org/families/driver_safety/

Local driving schools may offer in-cab assessments as well, that might be helpful to you, to get an independent opinion of his skills.

Hope this helps.

Mary G.