A study conducted at Johns Hopkins and the University of Maryland outlines how people with epilepsy and their physicians can assess individual risks of having an auto accident due to  People with epilepsy often worry they will have a seizure while driving and this can create  considerable anxiety. By examining specific seizure risk factors and linking them with auto accidents, the researchers hoped to find a reliable method allowing physicians to tailor safer driving programs for their patients. The issue of driving with epilepsy is a sensitive one. Currently, most states require people with epilepsy to have minimum seizure-free intervals of 3 to 18 months before they are permitted to drive.

In their research, the investigators evaluated possible risk factors for traffic crashes due to seizures in a retrospective case-control study that compared 50 people who had automobile crashes during seizures with 50 epilepsy patients who drove but experienced no automobile crashes.

Researchers found that seizure-free intervals greater than 6 and 12 months are associated with sharply reduced risk for seizure-related crashes. Reliable auras (people who said they had a reliable, strong feeling before the onset of a seizure) also decreased the risk of crashing. Finally, reducing or switching antiepileptic medications reduced the risk of accidents, which may be due to people experiencing fewer seizures when their medications are reduced from several drugs to one. The researchers noted that because their study used limited numbers, their conclusions should not be used to make new driving regulations. Instead, they suggest, large studies are needed to confirm their findings.

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