The onset of hay fever season has moved road safety group GEM Motoring Assist to issue a warning to sufferers about the effect medication can have on their driving.
The organisation has produced a video – entitled Drugs, Medicines, Driving and the Law – which highlights how even prescription medication can dangerously impair driving ability if left unchecked.
Advice from GEM includes asking your doctor or pharmacist if a medicine could affect your ability to drive, particularly if it is the first time you have been prescribed the medication. If you do experience side effects, arrange alternative to driving yourself. If the medicine is making you drowsy, ask your doctor or pharmacist is there is a non-drowsy alternative. Even over-the-counter medicines can have significant side-effects, so if you are unsure seek professional advice before driving.
GEM road safety officer Neil Worth says: “Some medicines, including those used to treat hay fever, can have an effect on your ability to drive safely. They can affect your vision, your hearing, your reaction time, your perception of risk and your ability to carry out a variety of tasks. You may feel sleepy, sick, dizzy or unable to move quickly. Your vision may be blurred, and you may also find it hard to focus or pay attention. Symptoms like this make you much more likely to be involved in a collision. The same road traffic laws apply to therapeutic drugs as to illicit substances, so if your driving is impaired and you cause a collision, you risk prosecution and the loss of your licence.”
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