Without a doubt, it’s one of the most difficult issues to deal with as an adult with epilepsy: the inability to drive. Each state has laws surrounding seizures and driving. In most, if not all cases, your neurologist is obligated to report your medical condition to the state and your license is essentially suspended if you are not seizure-free for a certain period of time. Details of each state’s law can be found here on the Epilepsy Foundation of America’s website:

Still, you can find literally tens-of-thousands of people with epilepsy out there, still driving…and this means they are risking their own lives, the lives of their passengers and the lives of each and every person on the road. A seizure can come at any time, day or night.
The excuses and the rationale they give are creative: they have such an extreme aura they would be capable of pulling over on an interstate at 75 mph; they don’t want their children to know they can’t drive; they have no other options to transport their family to activities; they must take themselves to work. Many of us live in areas with inadequate public transportation. Still, as someone who lives with epilepsy, you must be creative.

-Create a close-knit group of family and friends that you can rely on for transportation
-Organize your week or your month…Know exactly which days you must do your errands and schedule them with family or friends who might be running errands on those same days
-If you have children in school, see if you can form a carpool with other parents and return the favor of their driving by hosting playdates/lunches/dinners for their kids
Honesty about your epilepsy goes a LONG way. Don’t risk your health and your life and the lives of those around you.