Driving with a Serious Medical Condition Presents Major Risks | Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp

There are numerous challenges to safe driving. You take your eyes off the road and you can get into a car accident. You press on the brakes too soon, or too late, and you can get into a wreck. You may incur a blown tire while driving on the highway that causes your vehicle to spin out and you get into a crash. Driving always presents risks. However, if you’re dealing with a serious medical condition, the risks increase exponentially.

For example, a man with a history of seizures wound up driving the wrong way on the I-264 West lane and killed a woman in a head-on collision. Did his medical condition wind up playing a role in this fatal car crash? Maybe. The investigation into this terrible accident is still underway. Regardless, it doesn’t change the fact that this man was irresponsible and negligent for driving if he knew he could suffer a seizure while behind the wheel.There were some good, informative posts on the Virginian-Pilot’s web site discussing the fatal I-264 accident

If you know someone that should not be driving, the Virginia DMV has a program where you may notify them and suggest they review the driver’s fitness. I have done this twice and both drivers licenses were suspended until the drivers could prove they were physically capable of safely driving a motor vehicle. If someone suspects that a driver is not physically able to safely operate a motor vehicle, they should e-mail DMV at [email protected] or go to https://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/pdf/med80.pdf for further information.” 

Good suggestions.

In general, i
f you suffer from a serious medical condition like seizures, black-outs, heart palpitations, or any other condition that could randomly hinder your cognitive abilities, it’s best to monitor and restrict your driving. Get a ride with friend or family member. If that’s not possible, take public transportation. It’s better than suffering an attack while behind the wheel, causing a major car wreck, and potentially killing an innocent driver.