New CA medical guidance says seizures shouldn't automatically disqualify someone from driving

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- There is new medical guidance in California for drivers with seizure disorders. It says having a history of seizures should not automatically disqualify someone from driving - but there are some stipulations.

Driving large commercial trucks was how 33-year-old Mario Alberto Nario supported his family. So when he started having seizures a few years ago, everything stopped.

"It affected my career. In other words, transportation was the only thing I knew," he said.

The cause of his seizures was an AVM - or arteriovenous malformation it's an abnormal tangle of blood vessels in his brain.

"That kind of irritates what we call the brain or the neurons to abnormally fire," explained Dr. Wled Wazni, a vascular neurologist and director of the Stroke Program at St. Mary Medical Center and Glendale Memorial Hospital.

After surgery, Nario still suffered from seizures. Even though medication helps, Wazni was still required to report Nario to the DMV.

"He ultimately had to forego his license which was a commercial license," said Wazni.

"We had to decide what we're gonna do to continue to provide for my family," said Nario.

California health code requires doctors to report patients with seizures. But now, the American Academy of Neurology, the American Epilepsy Society and the Epilepsy Foundation of America issued a position statement saying patients should self report and government agencies like the DMV should be the ones to decide whether someone with seizures can drive. Wazni said this position is backed by evidence.

"Once you're on maintenance therapy and you're seizure-free, the odds ratio to be driving and have a seizure are extremely low, and even, almost as if you didn't have epilepsy," he said.

The statement says mandatory reporting by health care practitioners does not reduce accidents or fatalities but does increase the likelihood of people driving without a license and withholding information from their medical providers.

"I think it's a big step for patients to kind of get the care that they need and be open and honest when they're speaking with the physician who is ultimately trying to help them," Wazni said.

The statement also says instead of having to prove 12 months of being seizure free, that window can be reduced to three months. Doctors can still report if they'd like to and government agencies can request medical evaluations on a case-by-case basis.

Thanks to medication, Nario has been seizure-free for three years and now drives smaller commercial vehicles. He says the new guidelines strike the right balance between public safety and personal independence.

"It's a great change, you know, for people like myself and other drivers in the industry to be open with their doctors," Nario said.

The medical groups are also calling for government agencies to provide transportation to people whose driving privileges are restricted due to medical conditions.