Driving Licences: Epilepsy
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to allow people with epilepsy who have been seizure-free for more than ten years while taking medication to apply for a driver's licence.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood
People with epilepsy can be issued with a licence to drive Group 1 vehicles (cars and motorcycles) after being seizure free for 12 months (whether or not they are taking medication to treat epilepsy) and as long as they are following their medical professional’s advice on treatment.
The law currently requires a driving licence applicant to have been free from seizures for 10 years, without medication, before the issue of a Group 2 (lorries and buses) licence can be considered.
The Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on driving and disorders of the nervous system, provides advice on the medical standards for driving with epilepsy. In October 2023, the panel confirmed that it was satisfied with the existing requirements but would consider any future research or evidence in this area.
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