LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan is steering toward stricter road safety laws by requiring doctors to report patients who experience seizures to the Secretary of State. 

Mandatory physician reporting.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores), would make physician reporting mandatory rather than voluntary—closing what supporters call a loophole that leaves law enforcement without a reliable way to identify drivers who may be at risk of sudden incapacitation due to seizures.

MORE NEWS: Aric Nesbitt Calls on Justice Department to Investigate Alleged Misuse of Grant Money

“You can’t ensure that they’re not going to drive and that can happen for many different reasons, but making sure that the police have a way to enforce it, I think, is a step in the right direction,” Hertel said.

Current Michigan law allows—but doesn’t require—physicians to report patients with conditions that could threaten others. The new proposal would turn that option into an obligation, closing a gap lawmakers blame for deadly crashes.

Possible complications.

But neurologists and epilepsy groups push back, citing studies that mandatory reporting can lead patients to lie about their seizures, making care less effective. 

Dr. Gregory Barkley of Henry Ford Health System told lawmakers, “The result of patients not being truthful with their doctors about their seizures is that patient care is compromised and patients end up having more seizures rather than fewer seizures.”

National medical groups including the American Academy of Neurology and Epilepsy Foundation urge caution, emphasizing patient self-reporting and clinical judgment over blanket mandates. They warned in a press release that strict reporting laws can “breach medical confidentiality” and discourage honest conversations, potentially making matters worse.

A widow speaks out.

Meanwhile, Katie Kerstetter, widow of Michigan State Police Officer Daniel Kerstetter—who was killed in a crash involving a driver with a seizure history—told Bridge Michigan: “I just think it’s such an easy, easy, common-sense thing … “if I can make the road safer, if I can help them get what they deserve … then I’m going to do it.”