Few people relate medical issues with driving until they are diagnosed with a condition that can impact their abilities behind the wheel. While auto accidents can happen at any time for a wide variety of reasons, there are conditions that increase the possibility of being in a potentially dangerous or event fatal crash. These are the primary medical diagnoses that you and your loved ones should be aware of.
Seizures
Some people are prone to seizures, while others may be taking medications for various conditions that list seizures as a potential side-effect. In either scenario, these incidents cause a lapse in consciousness. Drowsiness is also a problematic symptom of less-severe seizures.
These symptoms make driving near impossible, easily leading to fatal incidents on the road. There are medications that can help control seizures, but a driver should be free of these incidents for six months before getting back behind the wheel.
Strokes
Equally as dangerous, strokes cause an individual to rapidly lose their brain function due to an interruption of blood flow. Losing that function, even momentarily, makes any task impossible. Thoughts, limb movement, and vision all cease during a stroke.
If you or a loved one has experienced this condition, speak with your primary care physician about your ability to operate a vehicle. Keep in mind that a stroke can happen at any time without prior warning in some cases. If that happens, you’ll need to speak with experienced legal aid like these accident attorneys in Folsom to help make your case.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Both of these brain-altering conditions progress with age, slowly taking away an individual’s faculties and mental abilities. Drivers may forget their destination, not remember roadway laws, or even which side of the road they’re supposed to drive on.
It isn’t always easy to assess how far these conditions progress, for both the individual and loved ones. Keeping an eye on minor “slips” in memory of behavior is the best way to assess how Alzheimer’s or dementia could affect driving ability.
Eye Conditions
Conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration all impair someone’s vision, which is vital to operating a vehicle. These are also progressive conditions, but are more easily monitored. Regular checkups on your vision can help you determine if driving is still a safe option.
Epilepsy
Genetic disorders, strokes, and brain injury can all lead to epilepsy. With genetics in play, some develop this condition naturally. It causes recurring seizures to certain stimuli, usually sound and light. This can make driving at night incredibly dangerous.
Those who experience this phenomenon suddenly while driving require expert legal aid, like this car accident attorney in Redlands, to help prove the condition was at fault and that they had no control of the situation. Those who are aware must prove they are seizure free for a long time and that medication has helped them gain control of their epilepsy in order to drive again.
Regular doctors’ appointments are the best way to ensure that none of the above conditions will impact someone’s ability to operate a vehicle. While there are scenarios where some of these conditions come on suddenly, most people can detect problems before they arise with proper medical care.
