Imataka G, Arisue K
Department of Pediatrics, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, Mibu, Shimotsuga, Tochigi, Japan.
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2016;20(3):491-7.
In Japan, having epilepsy was defined as an absolute disqualification for driving license in the Road Traffic Act enacted in 1960. In view of subsequent changes in domestic road traffic conditions and advances in epilepsy treatment and owing to efforts by interested parties, the 2002 revision of the Road Traffic Act conditionally permitted epileptic patients to obtain a driver's license. However, as fatal traffic accidents associated with driving by epileptic patients continued thereafter, their legal responsibility for driving a car was extensively discussed in newspapers and other media as well as in the Diet. In June 2013, the Road Traffic Act was again revised to incorporate punitive clauses applicable to those with difficulty in driving (not limited to epilepsy only but including various diseases and conditions) who falsely claimed that they had no driving difficulty in the procedure for obtaining or renewing their driver's license. With this revision marking a turning point, the Act on Punishment for Acts That Cause Death or Injury to Others by Driving a Car was enforced as a new statute in May 2014. This paper presents five cases of traffic accidents involved with epileptic patients to explain the impact of these accidents on the 2013 legal revision and a subsequent trend of toughening of legal penalties.
在日本，1960年颁布的《道路交通法》将患有癫痫定义为绝对禁止获得驾驶执照的情形。鉴于国内道路交通状况的后续变化以及癫痫治疗的进展，并且由于相关各方的努力，2002年对《道路交通法》的修订有条件地允许癫痫患者获得驾驶执照。然而，此后与癫痫患者驾车相关的致命交通事故仍不断发生，癫痫患者驾车的法律责任在报纸及其他媒体以及国会中都受到了广泛讨论。2013年6月，《道路交通法》再次修订，纳入了适用于那些在获取或更新驾驶执照程序中谎称自己没有驾驶困难的驾驶困难者（不仅限于癫痫，还包括各种疾病和状况）的惩罚条款。以此次修订为转折点，2014年5月，《关于处罚因驾车导致他人死伤行为的法律》作为一项新法规得以实施。本文介绍了五起涉及癫痫患者的交通事故案例，以解释这些事故对2013年法律修订的影响以及随后法律处罚趋于严厉的趋势。
