Driving and Epilepsy

This information applies to people in the UK only. If you live outside the UK, then more information about epilepsy and employment where you are will be available from your local epilepsy organisation.

As many people with epilepsy are seizure free, they may well hold a driving licence. The current driving regulations state that a person can apply for a driving licence when they have been completely free of seizures for one year or have had a pattern of sleep seizures only for three years.

When you are advertising a vacancy where travel is needed, to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act, you cannot stipulate ‘driving licence essential’ unless there is no other way the job could be done. For example, if someone with epilepsy may occasionally have to travel to different locations for their work, as a ‘reasonable adjustment’ they could use public transport or taxis.

Common sense is needed though, because if the vacancy was for a taxi driver or bus driver, then that clearly could not be done by a person without a driving licence, so of course you could state that a driving licence is ‘essential’ without being in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act.

As an example of reasonable adjustment, we have heard of district nurses who have developed epilepsy taking on work in the surgery rather than the community, social workers who have used public transport or taxis to reach their clients and a headmaster who worked 30 miles from home being provided with taxis to and from work through the Access to Work scheme. The Disability Employment Adviser at the Jobcentre Plus can advise you about this scheme.

See also

• Driving

Last updated 2 May 2007