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Hi, Everyone,
 
At a recent Management Committee Meeting of the Victorian Parkinson's Assoc.
(Australia), there was a lot of controversy when the Co-0rdinator suggested
voluntary driving assessment tests by an occupational therapist.  We'd heard
how one of our members had his license cancelled by his overly zealous GP who
contacted the Motor Vehicle Dept. and told them he has PD.  Also, someone said
that if you're in an accident and haven't informed your insurance company prior
to that accident that you have PD, they might choose not to cover your expenses
and liability.
 
The Younger Parkies feel especially threatened to think that their
independence, namely the use of their car so vital to their employment, could
be taken away from them.  I can certainly relate to that, but I know how I'd
also feel if a member of my family were killed because the driver had an
uncontrollable, severe tremor which caused him to lose control of the wheel or
he dozed off momentarily as a result of depletion of medication.
 
I'm curious about how we stand legally (though the US laws could be very
different that those in Australia) as well as how people feel morally about the
situation.
 
Celia Jones
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