Doctor's orders suspend driver's license

LEBANON, Pa. (AP) -- A man who lost his driver's license after telling his doctor that he drank a six-pack a day said Thursday that he blames the law, not his physician.
Keith Emerich, 44, of Lebanon had his license recalled May 4 after the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation got a report detailing his drinking habits.
"It wasn't the doctor's fault," Emerich said after a license recall appeal hearing before Judge Bradford H. Charles. "It's the law that's wrong."
A state law dating back to the 1960s requires doctors to report any physical or mental impairments in patients that could compromise their ability to drive safely, PennDOT officials said. The law requires an indefinite recall of the license until the driver can prove that he is competent to drive.
After Thursday's hearing, Charles gave both sides 10 days to file legal briefs and said he would issue a ruling at a later date.
Francis P. Bach, assistant counsel for PennDOT, said the department can suspend a person's license if it gets a report that the driver's use of alcohol or drugs could impair his ability to drive. The amount of beer that Emerich drank came to light when he was treated for an irregular heartbeat in February.
He went to his doctor and then went to the Good Samaritan Hospital for treatment. Emerich said he drank six to 10 beers a day, according to a hospital report. But on Thursday he said he didn't remember saying that at the hospital.