Some prescribed drugs or those that can be bought without a prescription can affect the human mind and behaviour and therefore they have a certain impact on our ability to drive.
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We are witnessing many traffic accidents and unnecessary loss of human lives every day. Due to the many traffic participants, a small human error can be fatal. Medicines are rarely mentioned as the cause of the accident, although their characteristics or side-effects inevitably affect the ability to drive.
It can be heard a lot about dangers of driving motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or illegal drugs. But driving under the influence of prescription drugs can be just as dangerous too. According to some studies, 20% of drugs can affect mental and physical abilities of driving, and almost 25% of car accidents are directly or indirectly associated with the use of drugs.
According to current estimates, the share of human error in a car accidents is 85 percent. On the first place are wrong decision and estimations. Decreased abilities of senses (sight, hearing, coordination) are on the second place. Then follows psychomotor capacity (mental and muscular reactions), advanced mental abilities (intelligence, temperament, etc.), skills (coordination of movements, speed, the estimation of width, height and distance, and knowledge of traffic signs and misjudging of own abilities as the last cause.
Every drug doesn't work the same. The effect of drugs depends on driver's individual characteristics (age, body weight, sex, stress) and drug characteristics (dosage, drug substances, taking time). It also depends on interaction with other drugs, food, alcohol and food supplements. So, there are many factors to be taken into account.
What also stands true is that people react differently to drugs and it is hard to state with certainty that a drug will affect someone's ability to drive. Most probably this is the reason why in many countries drug manufacturers are not required to put a warning sign which will indicate that drug affects driving ability. However, warnings about the possible impact of medication on the driving ability are required in the instructions attached to the drug.
Drugs that have an impact on mental and physical abilities can be divided into three categories: In the first category there are drugs that under certain circumstances can affect the mental and physical abilities. In the second group there are drugs that have mild to moderate impact on the mental and physical abilities, and in third are drugs that strongly affect mental and physical abilities.
In practice that means that medications can modify behaviour and perceptions, cause drowsiness and sedation, loss of psychomotor coordination, dizziness, muscle weakness and imbalance of senses.
Do not drive if you notice that a drug you took is causing drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision or double vision, ringing in the ears, tremors and weakness, nervousness or aggression without a special reason. ■