You’re about to go out on a really important work dinner, which happens to be 30 minutes away on the other side of town. It 6:40pm and you’re supposed be there by 7:00pm when thing get from bad to worse. After one sneeze turns into 13 repetitive sneezes that leave your neck aching, you realise that your hay fever has chosen to flare up again right on cue. You reach for the closest box of anti-histamines and don’t realise you’ve grabbed a box of drowsy, night pills and take 2 and run out of the house and head for your car. Although unintentionally, many drivers on the road don’t recognise the dangers of driving whilst feeling ill or worse, driving while under medications which may heavily impact their ability to think and react.
Prescription Drugs
A lot of prescription and non-prescription medicines have the ability to really affect a driver’s concentration and cognitive processes. As a rule, always read the label of the medications you are taking, as most medicines will have warnings regarding how safe/unsafe they are to take if you are operation a vehicle or any heavy machinery. Never drive if you are indeed taking medication that can affect your driving skills and always consult your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure about a certain medicine and its possible affects on your driving ability.
Temporary Conditions
Many temporary conditions such as being under anaesthetics, sustaining a concussion or even being under pain from a muscle tear/cramp may affect your ability to operate a vehicle safely. If you are uncertain, be sure to put off driving until you can consult a healthcare professional about whether it is/isn’t safe to drive.
Reporting an illness to the RMS
A range of health problems can affect your ability to drive safely, for example:
Blackouts or fainting
Vision problems
Epilepsy
Heart disease
Sleep disorders
Diabetes
Psychiatric disorders
If you have one or more of these conditions it is imperative to let the RMS know who will work with your doctor in order to tailor a plan and possible resolution for your ongoing medical issues. The medical standards are available at www.austroads.com.au.
Many people are still able to drive despite having one of these conditions as certain restrictions or guidelines by the RMS can make this possible via a conditional license catering to your specific driving requirements.
Safety of friend or relative
If you know about someone whose health might be affecting their ability to drive safely, it is important to get them to talk to their doctor and tailor a plan for their safety as well as others on the road.
