Don’t Motor on Meds

According to a poll by GEM Motoring Assist, one in 10 drivers has admitted their ability to drive was impaired after taking medication, while 3% actually admitted to having had an accident or near miss when driving under the influence of prescription or over-the-counter drugs.

12% of those questioned also admitted to not realising they could be breaking the law if they drive while affected, with almost a third of people said they regularly take medicines and drive.

The poll of drivers led GEM Motoring Assist to develop a leaflet to raise awareness of the issues associated with driving while affected by prescription medicines.

The leaflet, which is supported by the resident GP of ITV’s This Morning, Dr Chris Steele, answers questions and offers guidance on being aware of how drugs can affect our driving, and states that it is illegal to drive when taking certain medicines.

The poll also revealed that seven out of 10 people thought that they were not given enough information about medicines and driving when given prescriptions, and one in four admitted to being confused by the warnings given on medicine packaging.

Of further concern to GEM is the fact that three in 10 people said they did not know how to find out if medicines were likely to affect their driving.