First, Do No Harm

Keith Emerich is a 44 year old who says he's had a clean driving record for more than 20 years. While visting a hospital last February for an irregular heartbeat, Mr. Emerich mentioned that he drank a six-pack a day of beer, admitting that it wasn't great for his health. A couple of months later Mr. Emerich was notified that his driver's licence was being revoked for medical reasons related to substance abuse. It seems (under a state law requiring doctors to report any physical or mental impairments that could compromise a patient's ability to drive safely) a physician decided Mr. Emerich wasn't fit to drive. Pointing out that "What I do in the privacy of my own home is none of PennDOT's business", Mr. Emerich is fighting the revocation. So much for privacy between doctor and patient.