Driving while impaired, or high potential to be impaired.

[The Captain]

www.tricities.com/news/local/article_d37715c4-bff0-11e2-b6c8-0019bb30f31a.html#facebook-comments

If you have a medical condition where it is KNOWN that you could loose control of your reflexes/and or consciousness without warning should you be permitted to drive a vehicle?

This story hits a bit close to home as the husband of a friend has now been in two serious accidents when he had a blackout due to a uncontrolled medical condition.  He still continues to drive (instead of taking a cab) to work and run errands and claims those episodes are "flukes".

I don't know the specifics of the medical condition in the above story, but it seems the number of news stories of drivers plowing into crowds are increasing in frequency.

[Abby Normal]

I don't see in the article that the man had a previous condition, it just said he was 80 and had a "medical incident".  

But yes, if you have a condition that would impact your reflexes, vision or ability to drive- you should have to have medical clearance.  They do this in our state with seizures.  If you have more than two they can suspend your license until the find they cause, or you have gone without a seizure for a specified period of time. 

[cronewitch]

People need to be stopped from driving while impaired if they don't have sense enough to stop themselves. I haven't been anywhere since surgery and am considering driving today since I haven't had pain drugs since yesterday morning. The pills say use caution driving and I found each pill required a long nap after so I knew I shouldn't drive.

People should help those that can't or shouldn't drive to not feel a need to drive while impaired. My ISO is willing to go get me whatever I want so I have no reason to drive. Mom gave up driving because she was making poor driving decisions and not safe. My brother, his wife and I all take her wherever she wants to go so she doesn't need to drive. When I feel a need to quit driving due to poor skills I will pay someone to drive me places or live where there is public transportation.

People with any uncontrolled medical condition that can cause accidents should take themselves off the road and if they don't the family and friends should inform the state or the doctors to have the licenses revoked. One family told the senile old guy that the insurance company cancelled his insurance so he couldn't drive. My dad had a truck in the driveway for years that he could have driven but always waited for mom to drive him places then sold me the old truck, he was unhappy to think he couldn't drive even if he never did drive the last few years.

The article didn't say what this man's medical condition was and if it was the first time he had anything wrong.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

The article didn't say what this man's medical condition was and if it was the first time he had anything wrong.

It didn't say that the man was driving impaired either.

My orthopedic surgeon was rather old when he did my first surgery.....probably well over 70.  The man rode his bike to work each day and was in incredible shape for someone his age.  A few years later, he had a fatal car accident where it killed he and his wife, but left their grandkids that were sitting in the back seat alive.  Apparently he had a heart attack, with no warning whatsoever.

[formerroomate99]

I'm hypoglycemic, which means driving while hungry is pretty much the same as driving drunk. 
Both my mother and many dieticians seem to be completely convinced that eating a couple of crackers will stabilize my blood sugar.  It doesn't.  I know how I feel, how I think, and what it takes for me to get my brain back, and while it is rather depressing to be this size, I'm not about to risk killing someone to forgo a few calories.   

[swamp]

If you have an accident in NYS that is emergency health related, DMV will pull your license and you need a doctor to sign off so you can get your license back.