Driving is a privilege, not a right.

People with uncontrolled epilepsy are not permitted to drive.

If a seizure were to take place while operating a vehicle, you would put yourself and all other drivers and pedestrians around you in danger.
 
Provincial laws require all doctors to report seizures to the Ministry of Transportation. It is not your physician who decides whether you are able to drive; laws govern who may drive. In the Province of Ontario, your licence will be suspended if you have a seizure.

When you have had no seizures for 1 year and if your medication does not cause drowsiness or poor coordination, your doctor can write a report to the Ministry of Transportation, and you may become eligible to drive.

Like everyone else, you must pass the appropriate driving exams in order to receive your driver's licence.

If you already have your G1 or G2 driver's licence and your licence is suspended for medical reasons, you still have only until your licence expiry date to pass the final G-class examination. No extensions are issued to novice (G1 or G2) licence drivers. If you have not obtained your full G licence by the expiry date, you may take your G1 again after the reinstatement of your licence.


Not being able to drive is not the end of the world!

Travelling by public transportation or getting a ride from family or friends is okay too. It doesn't mean you won't be able to do the same things you did before. You can even take advantage of the time that public transportation affords to read a newspaper or magazine, do school work, etc.

In the United States of America, people with controlled epilepsy (as well as other medical conditions) are not permitted to drive commercial vehicles. This means that even if you are legally permitted to drive a commercial vehicle in Canada and are planning a trip to the USA, you will not permitted to drive beyond the Canadian borderline.

If you have any further questions, call the Medical Review Sector of the Ministry of Transportation at 800-268-1481 or your local Driver Examination Centre.
 
If you have changed to a new AED or had a major change to your dosage of medication, be cautious of driving. The new medication or dosage may cause drowsiness. It is wise to not drive until you know that your medication is not the source of any problems. There are also specific AEDs that can cause side effects which may negatively affect your driving.