Nationwide, 1 in 10 people will have a seizure in their lifetime. Although not everyone who has a seizure will be diagnosed with epilepsy, about 1 in 26 Americans, or 3.4 million people, in the U.S. live with epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that may cause seizures and loss of consciousness, and it can affect people of all ages in a number of ways.
For adults, it can also affect their ability to drive.
To help address this issue, Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona and Waymo are partnering to raise awareness about how autonomous driving technology could expand mobility options for people with epilepsy through the Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving campaign.
Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona works in collaboration with the National Epilepsy Foundation, a network of partners in the U.S. leading the fight to overcome the challenges for more than 77,000 Arizonans who have epilepsy.
Fully autonomous driving technology, which safely handles the tasks of driving, could give people with epilepsy a greater level of independence to run errands or travel to work, school, medical appointments, or go out for a night on the town without having to drive.
“We are excited to be part of Waymo’s public education initiative that could provide another mobility option to those living with epilepsy,” said Allie Anderson, executive director, Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona. “For those who are unable to drive a car due to their seizures, autonomous vehicles pose a potential solution to transportation needs. It changes the way people with epilepsy are able to integrate with other aspects of society.”
Waymo’s partnership with Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona aligns with the company’s mission to make it safe and easy for people to get where they’re going.
For more information about how to get involved with the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona, visit epilepsyaz.org.
