Please don’t drive under the inf luenza
MOTORISTS are commonly warned against driving under the influence. Now one local council wants to raise awareness of the dangers of ‘driving under the influenza’.
Mayo County Council’s road safety officer believes driving while suffering from the flu poses a danger.
Noel Gibbons has warned of the dangers of sneezing while driving, which can impair vision, and of the effects of the consumption of medication aimed at treating influenza.
Previous research in the UK using a driving simulator, found that people who drove with heavy colds or the flu took 10% longer to react than healthy drivers, the road safety officer said. This caused them to travel up to two extra metres at 100kph before they started to brake.
‘Safe driving requires concentration and good reactions, both of which are significantly reduced, even by just a mild cold,’ Mr Gibbons said.
‘I would advise drivers suffering from these conditions to avoid getting behind the wheel until they are better. If you are not well enough to undertake a journey, it could be dangerous for yourself and other road users.’
Mr Gibbons argued that even a bad cold or a particularly bad case of hay fever could impair one’s driving ability.
‘Severe bouts of common conditions, such as colds, flu, migraine, stomach upsets, infections and hay fever, can affect a driver’s ability to drive safely,’ he said. ‘A heavy cold, for example, can have symptoms that include a headache, blocked sinuses, sneezing and tiredness.
‘These can impair a driver’s mood, concentration, reactions and judgment. The dangers posed include driving blind for 65 metres when sneezing at 100kph – and possibly further if sneezing more than once.’
The safety officer said a commonsense approach must be taken when a driver is assessing whether or not they are fit enough to drive their vehicle.
He added: ‘It is important that, when you are ill, you weigh up how necessary journeys are and whether alternative arrangements can be made. Drivers who are feeling ill should also exercise care with the medicines they use, for instance cough syrups which can cause drowsiness, and always read the label.’
‘Even hay fever can impair driving’