Should doctors alert the RTA?

Epilepsy might have caused a fatal smash but more preventative steps can be taken

Two people died and five were injured in this crash in Ajman on Sunday. Courtesy Ajman Police

The allegation that a driver's epilepsy might have caused a double fatality when he smashed his pickup truck into a McDonald's restaurant in Ajman is, of course, a matter for the courts to determine. Regardless of the outcome of this case, there remain public health implications about this issue, including what can be done to prevent this kind of tragedy happening again.

There can be little dispute that the total loss of control that occurs during an epileptic fit should be a factor in assessing a sufferer's driving licence. As we reported yesterday, the police and doctors are unanimous in declaring that anyone with a medical condition that cause fits and seizures, such as epilepsy, should not be behind the wheel of a car.

The difficulty is when a condition such as this is diagnosed after someone has already obtained their driving licence, it relies upon the diligence and honesty of the driver to either alert the driving authorities or to stop driving. Nearly all drivers will do this, for obvious reasons of both personal and public safety, but there will always be a few who risk their luck and continue to drive, with potentially fatal results.

It will be impossible to entirely eliminate all occasions in which those with conditions such as uncontrolled epilepsy continue to drive but there are steps that can be taken to share information between government agencies to prevent some. One such example is for the licensing section of the Roads and Transport Authority to be automatically alerted by the medical system when a person of driving age is found to have a condition such as epilepsy.

While it is important for those with uncontrolled epilepsy not to be behind the wheel, it is equally important that a diagnosis should not become the modern-day equivalent of leprosy. Many drivers with epilepsy are able to keep their conditions under control through medication. Those who have a fit ought to be allowed to drive again after a specified period – perhaps three months – without a recurrence. A balance has to be struck which allows a driver to have freedom of movement so long as the public are also safe.