Abstract
Having a medical scare or living with a chronic medical condition is a common experience for many people in the United States. But should you go to a doctor in Pennsylvania and tell them of your condition or experience, a little-known law may force the doctor to report you to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation— without your knowledge. Once the report is received, the Department can recall your license. You can attempt to restore your license by attending a hearing, though you are fighting an uphill battle. Essentially, Pennsylvania drivers may be blindsided by a license recall merely because they sought medical attention. Pennsylvania’s mandatory reporting law is meant to make roads safer. In actuality, the law unfairly burdens doctors and drivers without having significant public benefit. This Comment explores Pennsylvania’s mandatory reporting law and argues against it, supporting instead a voluntary reporting model. This Comment also discusses the powerful nature of medical reports in license recall proceedings and argues that they should be corroborated to lessen their unfair impact on drivers.
Recommended Citation
Shawna Traver,
Losing Your Driver’s License; Just What the Doctor Ordered?,
130
Dick. L. Rev.
1045
(2025).
Available at:
https://insight.dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/dlr/vol130/iss3/9