Spring has arrived as of this Monday and is bringing along a slew of seasonal allergies with it. Experts suggest the 2023 allergy season could be more severe than in previous years.
With allergy season officially starting, you should know that some over-the-counter allergy drugs can seriously impair your ability to drive a Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV).
The University of Iowa researchers who tested allergy sufferers in a driving simulator found that the antihistamine diphenhydramine (in many allergy and cold medications) significantly impaired a driver's ability to follow, steer, and maintain the correct lane. The study showed that diphenhydramine has a more significant impact on driving performance than alcohol.
Researchers said that of the 39 million Americans who suffer from hay fever and allergies, only 4.8 million take prescription medications. The remainders of these folks go without treatment or take over-the-counter medications. These medications may be effective, but they often come with warnings stating drowsiness may occur and to use caution when driving a motor vehicle or operating machinery.
Researchers say you can still be impaired even if you do not feel drowsy on allergy medications. When drivers take over-the-counter medications, they often forget that they affect their cognitive and motor abilities. It does not usually cross their minds that they are taking drugs and will be impaired. Even if they read the warning, it is common to assume that it only applies to a few specific people and that "do not operate heavy machinery" means farm equipment or tractors, forgetting that CMVs should also be included. Also, many drugs carry warnings about drowsiness or dizziness that people ignore. However, this severe problem leads to thousands of vehicle crashes each year.
The danger of getting behind the wheel of a CMV when a driver is too tired to drive can be fatal.
Drugs impair our bodies in a variety of ways. They may blur our vision; make us tired or too excited; alter depth perception; make us see or hear things that may not be there; raise or lower blood pressure; react too quickly, too slowly, or not at all. They cause problems with concentrating on the task at hand. These problems can result from taking illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter drugs. When our brain function is altered, our muscle and nerve function changes.
Antihistamines - which block allergic reactions - slow down reaction time and impair coordination.
Over-the-counter decongestants can cause drowsiness, anxiety, and dizziness. Drowsy driving is responsible for an estimated 100,000 traffic crashes and about 1,500 deaths yearly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Common prescription drugs (including medications to treat allergies, pain, diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, ulcers, depression, anxiety disorders, and insomnia) can cause drowsiness and affect vision and other skills that can be severe hazards on the road.
Tranquilizers, sedatives, and sleeping pills slow down the central nervous system, causing drowsiness, diminished reaction time, and impaired concentration.
Over-the-counter drugs such as cold and cough medicines, antihistamines, drugs to prevent nausea or motion sickness, pain relievers, decongestants, and diuretics can cause drowsiness or dizziness that can impair a driver's skills and reflexes.
Some drugs may make you feel alert and confident in your driving. In reality, the situation may be quite different. Drugs can fool you into believing you are in control of your driving when impaired.
Here is a partial list of legal drugs that can impair your driving ability in the right amount.
- Anti-anxiety medication
- Amphetamines
- Barbiturates
- Stimulants
- Narcotic pain medications
- Allergy medicines
- Blood sugar medicines
- Antidepressants
- Tranquilizers
- Blood pressure medicines
- Motion sickness medication
- Ulcer medication
- Antibiotics
- Anti-seizure medicines
- Paregoric
- Anti-nausea medicine
- Sedatives
- Cough syrups
- Alcohol-containing medicines
- Caffeine-containing medicines
- Decongestants
To avoid harming yourself or others, partner with your physician and pharmacist to learn about your medication's side effects and what drugs are usually safe to combine-especially behind the wheel. Never take more than the prescribed dose or anyone else's medicine. Ask for non-sedating forms of your prescriptions if you are a professional driver. Allow your body time to adjust to new medications before you drive. Most importantly, each of us is responsible for knowing the signs and symptoms of being drug impaired before getting behind any vehicle's wheel.
For more information, including side effects of any drug, go to: www.drugs.com
National Work Zone Awareness Week April 17-21st
National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is an annual spring campaign to encourage safe driving through highway work zones and construction sites at the start of construction season. The key message is for drivers to use extra caution in work zones. For more information, check out the link below:
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has announced this year’s International Roadcheck dates as May 16-18
Roadcheck is a 72-hour high-visibility, high-volume commercial motor vehicle inspection and enforcement initiative. Commercial motor vehicle inspectors in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. will conduct North American Standard Inspections of commercial motor vehicles and drivers at weigh and inspection stations, roving patrols, and temporary inspection sites.
Each year, CVSA focuses on a specific aspect of a roadside inspection. This year the focus will be on anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and cargo securement. ABS violations are not out-of-service violations; however, the anti-lock braking system is critical in reducing collisions. A properly functioning ABS will prevent wheels from locking up or skidding, allowing a driver to maintain vehicle control while braking. Improper or inadequate cargo securement accounted for 10.6% of all vehicle out-of-service violations discovered during last year’s International Roadcheck. Past International Roadcheck data routinely found cargo securement violations in the top five of vehicle out-of-service violations.
