Focus on Drugs and Driving
Driving while unfit through drugs, whether illegal or prescribed or over-the-counter medicines, is an offence that carries the same penalties as drink driving. The Police can, and do, conduct roadside tests to assess whether a driver is impaired.
Illegal Drugs
Around 18% of people killed in road crashes have traces of illegal drugs in their blood, with cannabis being the most common. Drugs can affect a driver’s behaviour and body in a variety of ways (depending on the drug). These can include:
- slower reactions
- erratic behaviour
- poor concentration and confused thinking
- aggression, panic attacks or paranoia
- distorted perception
- blurred vision
- over confidence, resulting in taking unnecessary risks
- tremors, dizziness, cramps
- poor co-ordination
- severe fatigue after use.
The effects can last for hours or even days, and vary from person to person. They can be difficult for an individual to detect. There is a high risk of falling asleep through severe fatigue afterwards.
Medicines
It is difficult to predict whether a particular medicine will affect a person’s ability to drive safely, and if so, how and for how long. A driver may not even notice that they have been impaired until it is too late. The effects depend on how much, how often and how a medicine is used, plus the psychological and physical attributes of the person taking it. Some medicines may cause:
- drowsiness
- feeling nauseous or otherwise unwell
- dizziness or feeling light-headed
- reduced coordination, including shaking
- difficulty concentrating
- feeling unstable.
- feeling edgy, angry or aggressive
A person’s driving ability can also be affected by the medical condition for which they are taking the medicine.
Many over-the-counter medicines, including those for coughs, colds, flu and hay fever, causeunwanted drowsiness.Warnings about drowsiness are not always clear so, if the label says, “may cause drowsiness”, assume that it will do so.
Alcohol and Drugs
Taking alcohol and drugs together is even worse as their effects combine and impairment can be multiplied.
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