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Road Safety
Medications and Driving
Whether they are prescribed by your physician or purchased over the counter, some medications may impair your fitness to drive by impacting alertness, attention, vision, behaviour or sense of balance. The classes of medications that can impair your fitness to drive are [1]:
- Neuroleptics
- Sedatives
- Antiparkinsonian medications
- Cold and cough medications
- Antianxiety medications
- Antiepileptics
- Systemic antihistamines
- Hypnotics
- Analgesics
- Diabetes medications
- Ophthalmic medications
- Antidepressants
- Anesthetics
- Antiemetics and antinauseants
It is therefore important to consult a health care professional (physician, pharmacist) to find out what effects these medications may have on driving and to always read the instructions on the bottle, whether the medication was prescribed by your physician or bought over the counter.
Mixing
The combined use of psychotropic substances (alcohol and drugs) significantly increases the risk of being involved in a fatal road accident. A substance used in combination with another may not only add to but potentiate the action of that other substance, which means that the combined effect is more potent than the sum of the effects of the substances taken separately. Combinations involving alcohol and another psychotropic substance are particularly dangerous.
[1] Agence française de sécurité sanitaire des produits de santé (afssaps), Mise au point : Médicaments et conduite automobile, Septembre 2005
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