Connect
← Return to Weaning off keppra protocol?
Discussion
Comment receiving replies
@louissc
I didn't realize the licensing to drive was so strict in Singapore.
I heard that India was one of the strictest places for driving with epilepsy. Usually a lifetime ban but I heard that is easing up a little. I heard the same is true in Singapore. Not easy to get a license but not not always impossible either. Any truth to that. Do they have attorneys that can help people with epilepsy get their license? I hired a lawyer to get my license back last year.
My friend went there for a year or so and told me the city has very strict cleanliness standards/laws. She said you could be arrested or fined in the thousands of dollars if you spit, litter or throw gum on the street/sidewalk.
Louis, what type/s of seizures do you have? I might have read it but forgot.
$130,000 for a car in insane. What type of car would that be? Is that the cheapest? How much does a Certificate of Entitlement cost if you want to drive a car longer than 10 years?
Take care,
Jake
Replies to "@louissc I didn't realize the licensing to drive was so strict in Singapore. I heard that..."
Connect
@jakedduck1
Hi Jake,
My official diagnosis is refractory multifocal epilepsy. At first diagnosed, I would have seizure once every 3-4 days compared to the daily ones I had now (before Briviact). Those daily ones, although daily, were of lower intensity but I felt my quality of life was more affected, The lower intensity of seizures didn't make me upbeat at all. I brought up the possibility of surjery with my neurologist, who said were I to do surgery most of my brain would be in the bin. I was being put on different drugs and combinations to see if I would hit the jackpot. Sadly no, until Briviact. It’s still early days and I am keeping my fingers crossed on this one.
I know in Japan, if one doesn’t experience seizure for 5 years, he/she has the legal right to drive again. In Singapore, we just can’t do that for less legal complication and finger pointing in event of an accident. For anyone with epilepsy, we simply have to rely on public transport and Uber/Grab/cab. If you want to have an idea how much a car cost, you can go to this site http://www.sgcarmart.com . The exchange rate is approx. 1.27. US$130,000 is about enough to get an entry level BYD (I am not sure if you have it in US). The Certificate of Entitlement (COE) works based on a bidding system. The state will release a certain quantity of COEs twice a month, and the car agent or consumer can go bid how much one is willing to pay for that COE. Those highest bids of the quantity available at the time of bidding will “win”. If I want to keep my car after 10 years, I can but I will need to go bid for another COE.
Yup we do have strict cleanliness law. A few thousands will be an exaggeration, I will say a fine of approx. $400. All these rules/regulations were implemented when we gained independence ~60 years ago. Signs of those reminding people of the consequences if rules were broken could be seen everywhere then. That level of strictness was due to one reason – we were a poor country. The state simply couldn’t afford cleaning dirty streets. Money had to be spent on areas like education. Those strict rules still apply today but there are no enforcement officer plying the streets catching people littering or spitting gum. Some people still have their bad habits for sure, but for many we don’t litter. Even if the state fines people $1million for littering, how will it affect me when I don’t do it? We don't care about exisitence of those rules. I won’t say our public cleanliness level has reached that of the Japanese. They are insanely clean everywhere.
I hope my explanation made sense. It’s great to know you are curious about Singapore and besides my experiences with epilepsy, feel free to ask me anything about our little city state.
Cheers,
Louis