Since I Fainted I Have Been Told Not To Drive. How Long Should I Wait Before Starting To Drive Again?

— -- Question: Since I fainted I have been told not to drive. How long should I wait before starting to drive again?

Answer :Your question is a very common one that doctors and patients like yourself have to answer when they've had a fainting spell. The actual laws vary from state to state, but, on average, a person should not and cannot drive for six months after a fainting spell. Sometimes your doctor will allow you to drive a little earlier if they felt that the exact cause of your fainting has been found out and a treatment that is highly likely to prevent fainting from occurring again has been instituted. To give you an example, if you were fainting because of the slow heart rate and a pacemaker was placed, it would be common to wait a month after placing the pacemaker to make sure you are not fainting and the pacemaker is working appropriately before letting you drive again. If you faint again in a six month waiting period, very often that means not driving again, again except in some exceptional circumstances.