SAN FRANCISCO -- State Sen. Carole Migden says she has seen a doctor and plans to see a neurologist in an attempt to explain what led to her erratic 30-mile drive down Interstate 80 last week.

Migden said Thursday that she can't recall the wild ride, in which other motorists said she sideswiped guard rails and nearly ran them off the road before she rammed her state-owned vehicle into the back of another car at a Fairfield intersection. The impact sent a Vallejo woman and her 3-year-old daughter to the emergency room.

Migden, a San Francisco Democrat, told the Associated Press that she will not drive until she gets a medical explanation for what caused the behavior she said was clearly abnormal.

She disclosed Wednesday that she was diagnosed with leukemia in 1997 and still takes medication daily. She said the disease, the medication, or a new and undiagnosed medical condition may be to blame.

Migden said she saw her doctor Wednesday. She is consulting with her cancer specialists at the University of California, San Francisco, to find a neurologist to examine her after the Memorial Day long weekend.

While Migden said doctors told her in February that she is now "cancer free," she said she isn't cured of the disease because she hasn't had a bone marrow transplant.

"That (transplant) is the only way you're 100 percent cured," Migden said during an interview in her Senate office at the state Capitol. "It's a chronic disease. I am cancer-free, but to remain cancer-free I have to take my pills. So I want to clarify that."

Migden said she realized only after the May 18 crash that she was "dazed or not all there," as reported by motorists at the scene.

"I thought that was the result of being in an accident and shaken up by it," Migden said. She said she was not physically injured.

Migden said she knew there could be side effects from her disease or the medication, but hadn't worried because she has not experienced similar disorientation before or since the accident.

It was only this week, after other motorists complained to the news media about her driving, that Migden realized she had been driving erratically that day since she left the Oakland area more than 30 miles to the west of where she collided with the other vehicle. The California Highway Patrol is investigating whether she struck the center guard rail near Oakland and near Vallejo.

"I do not recall hitting a median, let alone twice. I have said I recall brushing up against something, but I can't tell you where or when," Migden said.

Migden drove away from the accident scene with the permission of investigating officers who determined she was not under the influence of alcohol.

Once the reports of her erratic driving surfaced early this week, Migden said she stopped driving and won't resume "until there is a medical clearance."

Though Migden repeatedly said she can't recall the drive, she does remember talking on her cell phone and "being preoccupied" by paperwork, as reported by other motorists. She missed a turn while trying to drive from San Francisco to a lunchtime event in Marin County.

"I have papers and directions and calls that get made and activity in the car, and ... that's not the right way to drive, clearly," Migden said. "That's not a great example of good driving habits."

Migden also said she had a handsfree device for her cell phone with her in the car, but didn't use it because "it doesn't always work."

Migden noted that she voted for a law that takes effect in July 2008 requiring drivers to use a headset or other handsfree device when talking on a cell phone while driving.

"I do think it's dangerous and I have a personal example of this," Migden said, sitting on her office couch beneath a painting of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Migden said she was sending a note of apology Thursday to the Honda's driver, Ellen Butawan, who was treated for facial bruises and hip pain after the crash. Butawan's daughter had chest abrasions from her safety harness.

Migden said she will likely ask the state to pay for the damage she caused with her state-owned 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid sport utility vehicle, because she was on state business at the time. She hasn't yet filed a claim because she has been dealing with the medical issues and media attention, Migden said.

"We were on state time and I think that's been established," Migden said.

Migden received a warm welcome at Thursday's Senate session, her first since disclosing her fight with leukemia. A bouquet of bright flowers was on her desk, and senators took turns giving her hugs.