An increasing number of road crashes involve drivers who are under the influence of drugs. In fact, drugs are found to contribute to driver fatalities as often as alcohol. Both medicines and illegal drugs can impair driving and increase crash risk.

Drugs and driving don't mix

Like alcohol, drugs reduce your ability to operate any pieces  of machinery safely, particularly if more than one drug is used, or if drugs are mixed with alcohol. Many medicines carry labels warning of possible drowsiness, and advising the user not to drive or operate machinery if they are affected.

Illegal drugs do not carry warning labels, however, it is always unsafe to drive after consuming any illegal drug because of the effect they have on mental and physical capacities. Impairing drugs have been detected in some drivers killed inroad accidents. However, drugs can also reduce your ability to act safely as a pedestrians

How do drugs reduce driving ability?

Drugs (whether medicinal or illicit) can decrease driver's:

• mental alertness
• vigilance and concentration
• physical co-ordination
• ability to react quickly and appropriately to what's happening on the road.

Driving and medicines

Both prescription and over-the-counter medicine (i.e medicines you can buy from the pharmacist without prescription) can impair driving ability. This includes medicines used to treat common conditions like allergies, arthritis, diabetes, blood pressure, stress and strong pain killers, particularly those containing codeine.

To help protect you, medicines which cause drowsiness must display one of the following warning labels:

“ this medicine may cause drowsiness and may increase the effect of alcohol. If affected do not drive motor vehicle or operate machinery”, or “this medicine may affect mental alertness and/or coordination. If affected, do not drive a motor vehicle or operate machinery”.

Article contributed by AAM

Click here for more 'Car Detailing Tips and  Techniques'

Go to Main Page