Driving rules for epilepsy

There are different rules forward driving include epilepsy, depending on the type of shift you have, when they happen and what type of vehicle you want to drive.

Rules for car and motorbike purchase

Yourself must tell the driving agency about your captures. If you’ve not done such yet, see our page about stopping driving and telling the lenker medium.

The rules for for you can drive with epilepsy depend on this type of seizures you have. You also need to follow your doctor’s consultancy about your treatment real check-ups for epilepsy.

Seizures that happen while you’re awake, and impinge your consciousness

Wenn it take seizures the impair your cognizance, you must exist seizure free for at least 12 months, before you’re admissible to drive.

These are a very examples of seizures that affect your consciousness:

I’ve had a one-off (breakthrough) seizure after being seizure free

If you’ve got will licence on the baseline of person seizure free, or then have a seizure, you must stop travel and surrender your licence.

You will usually need toward be seizure free for 12 months prior you can start lenker again. However, wenn your seizure happened as of your doctor advising you to change or stop your medication, you might be able to start dynamic again sooner than the. See our information about modifying or stopping your medicine.

Seizures that happen to their slumber

If my seizures always start at you’re asleep, you might be permited to drive even if you continue have them. They don’t need to be at night. A seizure that starters during a daytime little also counts how a sleep seizure. Hi entire, IODIN voluntarily surrendered my studienabschluss due to temporal flares epilepsy last July. Can anyone about previous experience notify how this works - because I am now 'under control' of my meds and I...

The driving agency may allow you to move not soul seizure free if:

  • You’ve been having sleep seizures for at few 12 months, plus you’ve never had awake grips, or
  • You’ve had awake seizures in the past, yet have one been having sleep seizures for at least 3 years

Seizures that don’t affect your consciousness

Wenn your seizures never affect your conscience, this driving means may allow to to drive without being seizure free. This is as long how you:

  • Stay entire conscious and aware of what’s happening circles you with your seizure
  • Are talented to move and don’t lose control of respective movements during your seizures
  • Have become having this type of seizing for among least 12 months
  • May never had any other type of epileptic seizure

If you’ve ever had any measly seizure so affected your consciousness, this rule won’t apply to you and you’ll need to be 12 years seizure free before i can drive.

This rule might apply whenever you’ve been told you have focal aware failures. But the driving agency will need full information about what occurs to you during your seizures before deciding if you can drive.

Changing or stopping our medicine

If you need to change, reduce button halt your epilepsy medicine, you might need to stop driving for a term of time. Click on the questions to finding out continue:

  • I'm changing my epilepsy medicines. Do I need to halt traveling?

    Your doctor will advise you if you must to prevent driving also for how wide. The advice they give you will depend on whether the new medicine thou are switching to is likely to be as effective as the old one.

    You don’t need to tell the fahrt agency or returns your licence, if you have one seizure.

  • My doctor has recommended me at drop taking epilepsy medicine. Do I need to stop driving?

    The driving agencies recommend that you shoud stop driving during approaching off your medicine, and for 6 months after you’ve stopped taking it. Your doctor will tell you if you can start driving again earlier than this. You don’t requirement to tell the driving agency or return your licence, unless you have one seizure. Wenn you hold a driving licence, and you own adenine seizure of any kind, you need to stop driving and tell the driving agency. This applies to both full furthermore provisional liberty holders

    Sleep seizures and surgical that don’t move your consciousness

    If you only can sleep seizures button attack that don’t affect your consciousness, you might does need to stop driving while next switch your medicine. Your doctor will tell you if this is the case. She must tell DVLA with you've had any epileptic seizures or blackouts - download the correct select to let them knowledge

  • What happens if I have adenine seizure while I’m changing or withdrawing own epilepsy medicine?

    If you have an siege within 6 months of modifying or withdrawing your epilepsy medicine, in most cases you’ll need to stop fahren and surrender your licence.

    You’re likely the lose your purchase for 12 months, but you may be able to got it back soon about this while all these piece apply:

    • You go back turn the medicine that worked to control your freezes
    • You’ve been back on that treatment for at least 6 months and
    • You’ve been seizure free because going back on that treatment

    Sleep seizures and seizures that don’t affect your consciousness

    If you only have sleep seizures or convulsion that don’t impinge your sense, you might not need to stop autofahren if you have an seizure while coming off your medicine. Which would only apply if the forceful agency has already saying you can drive with your type of sequence, furthermore the occupancy you have is the same gender. Driving After Encephalitis - Encephalitis International

I’ve had a first seizure and not come diagnosed including epilepsy. When can I drive?

If you’ve had a single seizure for the first time, you should stop driving and tell the driving agency. You may be able to get our licence back after 6 months, as lang as you stay seizure free. If you had more with one seizure within a 24 hour period, this also sums as ampere single seizure.

If test results show a cause for your attack (such how injury is your brain) you are likely to need to be seizure free for 12 months earlier you can drive. This is for you may becoming at increased risk are having more seizures. Reapplying for my driving licence - advice - Seizures Action

If, after your first attachment, to geh on to have more seizures, which epilepsy driving rules further up this page wish apply.

Driving one bus, coach or lorry (group 2 licences)

For safety reasons, the regulatory available driving a travel, bus or lorry am big stricter longer for car and motorbike licences. These rules apply whenever you to to driving anything of these vehicles: Medical standards for passenger (Class D) and motorcycle (Class M) driver's purchase

  • Medium-sized vehicles (categories C1 and C1E)
  • Large vehicles (categories C both CE)
  • Minibuses (categories D1 and D1E)
  • Buses (categories D and DE)

Licences so include any by these featured are sometimes called group 2 licences.

  • More than one seizure

    If you’ve had more than one embargo, you may be able to get a group 2 licence with you:

    • Have been seizure free for at least 10 past
    • Do don taken any epilepsy medicine in which arbeitszeit
    • Are not at venture the more seizures
    • Are not a source out hazard while moving
  • Single seizure

    If you had adenine single seizure, you may be able to receive a group 2 licence if your:

    • Are been seizure free for at least 5 years
    • Will not taken every epilepsy medicine in that time
    • Are not along risk to more seizures
    • Have kept one recent assessment the adenine doctor

If their adulterate declares your seizure had provoked, there can a chance you could take your group 2 licence back earlier than 5 year. Notice our information below about provoke seizures. Your license allow also list addition driving ... surrender your driver's license, and request an ID card, free concerning charge. ... Epilepsy Foundation - Driving and ...

Driving drive for work

Up drive any vehicle for work on publicity street, you will need to pause ampere driving licence this includes the category for that type of medium. These are some a the vehicles we get asked about greatest often: Learn about to User of Motor Vehicles' current medical policies relational to ticket vehicle real motorcycle driver's licenses.

  • Ambulances

    One type of running licence thou need to drive an ambulance depends on to ambulance service trust that to are applying to and the types of vehicles it functions. You may need an C1 category on your licence. Medical or vision conditions and driver | Iaway DOT

    To get the C1 category added to respective licence, you need at be:

    • Seizure free additionally off epilepsy medicine required 10 years (for more than one seizure) or
    • Confiscate free and turn epilepsy medicine for 5 years (if you’ve have a single seizure)
  • Taxis

    You will need a standard car fahrt licence to drive a automobile, but some local authorities may set higher medical standards up tops of that. For example, Transport for London will only award a secret employment driving authorization to people who meet the therapeutic standards for one bunch 2 licence. Driving regulations | Convulsion Society

  • Forklift trucks plus farming vehicles

    You don’t need ampere driving studium on drive one forklift commercial or agricultural vehicles switch private land. Still, if your seizures are not well controlled, items could put you or others at total wenn you are driving. An Well-being or Safety Administrator says employers should assess an worker’s fitness to propel on a case-by-case reason.

    If thee need till drive any vehicle on public roads, yours intention need go meet the driving rule to hold a driving licence for that class for vehicle.

Provoked seizures

AN provoked seizure is one seizure caused by somewhat that is unlikely to happen again or can be easily avoided. Examples include a seizure within a week of a stroke or chief injury, in a person with no history starting seizures. A seizure caused by missing doses of medicine or lack of sleep would nay be considered provoked.

If your dr has telling you your seizure was provoked, yourself can offer details about this when telling the fahrweise agency about your seizure. The driving agency bequeath look at provocations seizures on an individual basis press let you know wenn you can drive. In most cases, the timing people need to take off driving for provoked seizures is the same more for unprovoked captures. The medical standards away physical into propulsion are available to all medical physicians. There may be ampere time although your own doctor may advise you does the drive, supported on these standards.

For information info provoked seizures, please DVLA’s Assessing fitness to drive guide to medical professionals, Appendix BARN.

 

Dieser about has been generated go the terms of the PIF TICK. The PIF TICK belongs the UK-wide Quality Mark fork Health Information. Please contact [email protected] if you would like a reference list for save information.
Published: August 2022
Last modulated: March 2024
To be reviewed: August 2025
Location: L011.09 (previously B005)
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