-- >From: "Chuck Mauthe" <cmauthe@private> >To: "'Politech'" <declan@private> >Subject: big brother is now talking to your doctor >Date: Mon, 9 Aug 2004 15:26:44 -0400 > >original is at >http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/9345310.htm?1c > >Posted on Sun, Aug. 08, 2004 >Fessing up to doctor costs drinker his license > >A Lebanon County man admitted that he drank a 6-pack a day. A Pa. law >required PennDot to be alerted. > >By Patrick Kerkstra >Inquirer Staff Writer > >Like most people, Keith Emerich thought he could tell a doctor anything. > >So the 44-year-old print-shop pressman answered honestly when asked during >an office visit whether he drank alcohol. Yes, he said, six to 10 Budweisers >a day. > >That candor cost Emerich, of Lebanon, Pa., his driver's license. > >In a strict reading of a Pennsylvania law that requires physicians to report >patients with conditions that might "impair the ability to control and >safely operate" a vehicle, the doctor notified the Pennsylvania Department >of Transportation of Emerich's appetite for brew. > >With nothing more to go on than two check marks on a one-page questionnaire, >PennDot revoked Emerich's license indefinitely. > >Emerich thought it was a joke when the notice arrived in the mail last April >Fool's Day. His driving record was pristine since a conviction for driving >under the influence 23 years ago, and he said he does not mix drinking and >driving. > >"What I do in the privacy of my home is none of PennDot's business," said >Emerich, who is appealing the agency's decision in Lebanon County Court. A >ruling is expected within weeks. ... _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
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