I haven't seen any data to support that claim. Now if you could show me that all 50 states allow drivers with a history of seizures to drive, yet the FMCSA doesn't, then I might consider your argument valid.

Last I checked, Canada and Austrailia are not the USA. Their regulations differ.

First off, I'm still waiting for some data to show they "are safe". Secondly, I'm sure the insurance companies have a lot to say about it.

Because of the bad apples.

Apparently, you've never heard of prohibition.

SHOW SOME DATA to support your claim that these drivers are safe. SHOW A WAY to determine who is going to have problems in the future, and who is not. From what I've seen in this thread, even with medication, the risk of having a relapse is always there, and can happen without notice.

 

Rev there are confirmed reports that Alexander the Great and Julius Ceaser were both Epeliptic now to be an as great a military mind and have Eplilepsy back then when they had no treatments for it was hard. Until the 1900's Epileptics were Sterilized as soon as it was confirmed they had it. Epilepsy is not as bad as uncontrolled HBP that can cause a HEART ATTACK OR STROKE SO FAST YOU HAVE NO TIME TO DO ANYTHING. Most Epileptics like myself have what they call an aura were they know they are about to have a seizure and do what it takes to stop what they are doing and lay down to protect themselves.

 

So that makes it right for government intrusion?

 

No until I am under CONTROL FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS EITHER ON OR OFF MEDS THERE IS NO WAY OR HOW I WOULD WANT TO BE BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A CMV. However the fact is MRB refused to open its ears to medical science that shows that people can be controlled with meds and never have another one. They also keep overlooking the biggest issues in tucking like predictable sleep cycles lack of parking poor diets HBP heart diease and diabaties all of which kills more people than Epilepsy does.

 

So you should be able to drive a CMV because Alexander the Great had epilepsy. I see......

I don't see it as a government intrusion any more than logbooks are.

Now you're just changing the subject to avoid the real issue. :roll:

 

Good point. I'll have to sleep on sleep on this, we'll resume tomorrow. I'll be up at 4am which will be your 3am (I think....cmt)you'll be ready yes?

 

EDIT: Please bring the government cheese for snacks.

 

A national survey done in the mid-1990's found that most Americans thought that people with epilepsy should always be restricted from driving, operating heavy machinery, drinking alcohol, and participating in sports. Only rarely are drivers with neurological problems the most risky drivers. The most common health reason for denial of a driving license is epilepsy, although data show convincingly that persons with well controlled seizure disorders pose no increased driving risk. Epilepsy appears to elevate automobile crash risk much less than alcohol intake or sleep disorders. Epilepsy accounts for less than 0.03% of traffic accidents; by contrast, sleep disorders account for 8 times this number and alcohol more than 100 times. Excessive alcohol accounts for 40% of traffic accidents. American Academy of Neurology

80% of people with seizure disorders have control over it. One of the most common causes of seizures in people who have been seizure-free for months or sometimes years, is non-compliance with their medication schedules. If the individual has shown that medication does control their epilepsy or seizure disorders, they have not only proven that medication works for them but they are responsible enough to take their medication as prescribed. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Each year, 181,000 people are diagnosed with seizures and epilepsy. Approximately 60 percent will achieve control of seizures with treatment within the first year. Another 15 to 20 percent gain control at a later date. This is why an individualized assessment is important. One driver may be safe within one year while another may need several years to be safe. Medical News

87% of persons free of seizures at 1 year were still free of break through events after 3 years. Drivers with well-controlled epilepsy, defined as being seizure-free for the preceding 12 months, pose no greater risk for car crashes than those with diabetes or heart disease, and probably no more than those in the general population. A U.S. consensus statement approved in 1994 by the American Epilepsy Society and the American Academy of Neurology recommended a minimum seizure-free interval of only 3 months. The relative risk for car crashes in persons with epilepsy varies according to the study, but seems to be similar to the risk posed by diabetics. When compared with the number of crashes due to other preventable causes, such as alcohol consumption, which alone accounts for 5-10% of automobile crashes in the United States, the impact of epilepsy on road safety seems small. The number of accidents in the population due to drivers with epilepsy is 1 per 10,000. National Conference of State Legislatures

Anticonvulsants can completely prevent convulsive seizures in more than half of the people who have them and greatly reduce the frequency of seizures in another third. These drugs are only slightly less effective for absence seizures. Half of the people who respond to anticonvulsants can eventually discontinue them without having a relapse. Medical Library

Medical knowledge and treatment of epilepsy has made great strides in the last twenty years, and there are many people with a history of seizures who are no more likely to have a seizure while on medication than anyone in the general population. Indeed, DOT, in its 1988 Task Force recommendations, conceded that persons on medication with demonstrated long-term seizure control may be at a minimal risk of future seizures, possibly at or even below baseline rates for seizures in the general population. Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation, Report of the Conference on Neurological Disorders and Commercial Drivers (1988), p. 5. Further, the Task Force Report recognized the importance of the engaging in individualized inquiries to determine if someone with epilepsy should be licensed to drive a CMV. In particular, the report stated (at p. 49) “that there have been major advances in neurology and epilepsy which
the ADA. As noted above, the House Education and Labor Committee report on the bill directed DOT to review the regulations to determine “whether the standards conform with current knowledge about the capabilities of persons with disabilities and currently available technological aids and devices and whether such regulations are valid under this Act.” Clearly, then there has been no congressional “approval of the relevant regulation.” Epilepsy Foundation

Disqualified
There are more than a dozen medical conditions that the U.S. DOT can use to disqualify drivers. Among the more common:

Visual acuity of less than 20/40 in each eye with or without corrective lenses

Loss of a foot, leg, hand or arm

Deafness

Cardio-vascular diseases like myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, coronary insufficiency, thrombosis

High blood pressure likely to interfere with the ability to operate a commercial motor vehicle safely

A clinical diagnosis of epilepsy.

These conditions automatically disqualify a driver from holding a CDL for interstate operation of commercial motor vehicles. Over the years, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and its predecessor agencies crafted exemption programs for many of the disqualifying conditions. If a driver’s condition was under tight control and he could demonstrate safe operation of a commercial motor vehicle, he would be allowed to drive.

At least that was the premise. The actual implementation of those programs has been somewhat more contentious for drivers, according to Rinke Noonan, a Minnesota law firm which has successfully sued the DOT several times on behalf of disqualified drivers. Where the FMCSA — and before it, the Federal Highway Administration — has been required by courts and Congress to consider disqualified truckers as individuals and grant them waivers based on their ability to operate safely, the “DOT has argued that an individual driver’s demonstrated functional ability to drive will not be considered unless there is overwhelming statistical evidence that thousands of drivers with exactly the same functional impairment can safely drive.”

This approach has limited the number of disqualified drivers who have received waivers. It has created nearly impossible hurdles for waiver applicants to overcome and flaunted the intent of Congress on multiple occasions, according to truckers, driver advocates, legal counsel, members of Congress and carrier personnel who have tangled with FMCSA over exemptions. The agency would not grant an interview for this story. Still, in its oft-published denials of waivers, FMCSA frequently cites its role as the arbiter of safety on U.S. interstates.
Truckers News

 

I have a friend of mine born with Epilepsy and his last seizure was 40 years ago he was told he could stop taking meds however he still does and also he is the Head of the local Nuke Plant and does fine at it.