We're forever being told that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a definite no-no, and for good reason. Booze and (I imagine) drugs severely affect our reaction times, our motor skills and our judgement, and can, in large enough quantities, cause us to forget our own name, let alone how to drive a car.
However, while drug- and drink-driving remain social menaces which cause untold destruction to thousands of lives every year, less is known about that other social menace: driving under the influence of the common cold.
Last night, quite unexpectedly, the cold virus wormed its way into my system and began multiplying uncontrollably, turning me into a hopeless, gibbering wreck. I'm not big on hyperbole, but I can categorically say that this is THE WORST COLD IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANKIND.
This got me thinking. Here at CarSite we occasionally get press releases from pressure groups and motoring organisations telling us of the danger of driving while ill... and we toss them in the bin. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for road safety, but the thought of leaving the car at home and getting the bus just because I've got a bit of a sniffle is, frankly, laughable.
But -- and here's the rub -- how ill do you have to be for driving to be a bad idea?
If you have a light tickle in the back of your throat, it's pretty safe to say you'll be fine. If you're on a life-support machine, it probably won't be. There has to be a point on the illness scale in between these two extremes where being okay to drive ends and being 'not okay' to drive begins.
But where is that point? Is it okay to drive when you've got, say, gastric flu? What about tonsillitis? Or a migraine? I'm interested to hear your views on this. What is the most unwell you've ever been while at the wheel of a car?
In the meantime, I'm going to go home, have some Lemsip and pray for my immune system to wake up.
