Impact of mandatory physician reporting on accident risk in epilepsy.

Background: In some jurisdictions, physicians are required by law to report patients with seizures to the department of motor vehicles. We assessed the hypothesis that mandatory reporting reduces the risk of automobile accidents in people with epilepsy.

Methods: A retrospective survey of driving and accident rates was done by mailed questionnaire to two groups of subjects with epilepsy in Canada, one living in Ontario where reporting is mandatory and the other in Alberta where it is not.