Illness impairs driving ability: a study
POSTED February 1, 2009 - 15:33 | POSTED BY Neharika Sabharwal
Last edited by Shikha Patial on February 1, 2009 - 15:59
London, February 1: A study undertaken by the British insurance company has found that cold and flu can significantly affect driver’s alertness on the road, increasing the risks of accidents.
The research was commissioned by Lloyds TSB Insurance. With the means of a hazard stimulator test, a hundred drivers suffering from colds, stress, headaches and premenstrual syndrome were compared with 50 who were healthy.
The results revealed that sick drivers demonstrated an 11 percent lower reflex action, and other measures of a good driving performance. Also, people who drove with heavy colds or the flu took 10 per cent longer to react than healthy drivers. As a result, they traveled an extra two meters at 60 mph before they started to break.
The study pointed that the drivers were quite oblivious to the hazards of the road when feeling under the weather. Also the effects of drowsiness compounded by cold remedies, and alcohol consumption led to fatal consequences.
A separate poll conducted by YouGov, involving 4,000 people, for the insurers revealed that 22 people met an accident while having a bad cold and five while they had flu.
According to the estimates of the survey, nearly 125000 accidents were caused by motorists who were suffering from cold and flu last year in Britain.
This clearly indicates that being unwell at the wheel, exhausted or under medication, could have a negative impact on one’s driving ability.
Paula Llewellyn, a spokesperson for the company, said, "Getting behind the wheel when ill causes thousands of accidents every year. Try to avoid driving if you're suffering from cold or flu."
Safe driving requires concentration and good reactions, both of which are significantly reduced, even by a mild cold. Hence, it is advisable for drivers to refrain from getting behind the wheel if suffering from a bout of cold and flu.
Duncan Vernon, road safety manager at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (ROSPA), said, "If you are not well enough to undertake a journey, it could be dangerous for yourself and other road users. 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.”
What is essential is a rational approach. Vernon said, "It is important that, when you are ill, you weigh up how necessary journeys are and whether alternative arrangements can be made. People need to be honest with themselves about their ability to drive safely."
