Healthy Skepticism Library item: 738

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

Drug driving 'lethal' warning
BBC News 2005 Jan 7

Full text:

Drowsiness caused by prescription drugs is a “silent killer” on Northern Ireland’s roads, research has shown. Dr Imelda Haran, of the University of Ulster, who has completed a three-year study into the effect of tiredness on motorists, said warning labels on medicines were often ignored. In Northern Ireland, 24 million prescription items are dispensed each year, of which at least one quarter are fatigue-inducing. Many drugs prescribed to combat conditions ranging from blood pressure to congestion contain sleep-inducing qualities, which impair driving abilities. Dr Haran, a lecturer in transport, studied people who had been prescribed medicines, which carried warnings of drowsiness as a side effect.

People must realise that they have to take control of their own destiny when they get behind the wheel of a car
Professor Alan Woodside
University of Ulster

She said results of the research confirmed that drivers consuming prescribed medicines were a high-risk group as tiredness can “capture them at the most inappropriate times”. Nearly half of those studied reported excessive daytime sleepiness. Many had difficulty getting a full night’s uninterrupted sleep – eight hours or more – and consequently felt the need to doze during the day. Dr Haran said: “The warnings of drowsiness issued with certain prescribed drugs should not be taken lightly. “The side effects on performance and the subsequent fatal effects on driving warrant caution.” Using driving simulation, she investigated how drivers performed under three scenarios – suffering from sleep deprivation, having consumed over-the-counter medicines and while fully refreshed and not on medication. In one test – performing an emergency stop at 30mph – it took the drivers suffering from sleep deprivation almost twice as long to come to a stop, whereas only half the distance was required when fully refreshed. The drivers also performed badly after consuming medicines. Similar results were obtained when the drivers were asked to “park” close to a wall in a confined space.

Those consuming medicines and those sleep deprived parked a considerable distance from the wall – demonstrating that their judgment was impaired. Professor Alan Woodside, Professor of Highway Engineering at the university, said it was not known exactly how many road accidents were caused by drowsiness among drivers. “This three-year research program shows that drowsiness caused by sleep deprivation or the use of medicines can impair drivers’ judgment and performance to a potentially lethal degree,” he said. “People must realise that they have to take control of their own destiny when they get behind the wheel of a car. “We cannot test them for sleep deprivation or drowsiness. They must ensure that they are in a fit state to drive. “As road engineers, we can put rumble strips on the hard shoulder of motorways or across roads at strategic junctions to jolt drivers’ awareness – but the real message is that it is up to the drivers to be mentally alert at all times.”