How Can People With Narcolepsy Drive Safely?

For many people, avoiding fatigued driving means staying off the roads after pulling an all-nighter. But imagine driving when you have narcolepsy, a brain disorder that causes people to suffer from chronic daytime drowsiness and fall asleep suddenly. With narcolepsy, the dangers of drowsy driving become a perennial threat. What can a person with narcolepsy do ― never drive? Well, no, but there are some important caveats. Joyce Scannell, an office manager at the Narcolepsy Network nonprofit who has had narcolepsy her whole life, says she never drives more than 20 minutes at a time. “Luckily I work from home and my kids have moved out. So it’s just: Go to the doctor, go to the store, go home,” she said. “Because if I get into an accident, the state will make it really tough to get back my license.” Each state has its own laws about the health conditions that can prevent resident from getting a license, as well as whether those conditions must be disclosed on the license itself. Scannell, who lives in Rhode Island, was able to get a driver’s license, and doesn’t have to disclose on it that she has narcolepsy. Other states require narcoleptic drivers to be medicated and symptom-free for a certain period of time before they can obtain a license: For example, that period is a whole year in New York, but it’s just 90 days in Kentucky.  Treatment is the key to people with narcolepsy driving safely, sleep experts ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news