The Issue

Prescription drugs are the most prevalent of all drugs found in drugged drivers involved in fatal crashes (46.5%), and the percentage has continually increased since 2005.
Nearly half of Americans reported taking one or more prescription drugs in the past 30 days, 31% reported taking two or more prescription medications and 11% reported taking three or more prescription medications.
Only 28% of drivers consider driving under the influence of prescription drugs a very serious threat. In comparison, 66% of people consider driving under the influence of alcohol a very serious threat and 56% of people consider driving under the influence of illegal drugs a very serious threat.
Benzodiazepines (prescribed for anxiety or sleep disorders) and opiates (prescribed for pain relief) are the two prescription drugs most commonly found in fatal and seriously injured drivers.
35% of drivers reported self‐regulating their driving in the past when they believed their medication would affect their ability to drive safely, according to a national roadside survey
Some types of antidepressants have been shown to increase crash risk by up to 41%.
Diphenhydramine is an ingredient commonly found in over-the-counter cold and allergy medications. This drug has been shown to severely impair the ability to follow at a safe and constant distance, maintain speed and maintain lane position.

What you need to know about medication and driving

If you’re taking a medication, is it safe to drive? While most medications do not impact your ability to operate a vehicle safely, it’s important to understand how a medication you take could impact your ability to operate a vehicle safely, including a car, boat, bus, plane or watercraft.

Some prescription and non-prescription medications (also called over-the-counter or OTC) can have side effects and cause reactions that may make it unsafe to drive. Side effects can include:

sleepiness/drowsiness
blurred vision
dizziness
slowed movement
fainting
inability to focus or pay attention
nausea
excitability

Some medications can affect your driving for a short time after you take them. For others, the effects can last for several hours, and even the next day. If a medication has a warning to not operate heavy machinery, this includes driving a car.

Medications That May Affect Driving

Some medications—including many popular painkillers and cough, cold, and allergy remedies—contain more than one ingredient that can react with alcohol. Other medications contain alcohol, some up to 10% alcohol. Cough syrup and laxatives may have some of the highest alcohol concentrations.
Alcohol affects women differently. Women , in general, have a higher risk for problems than men. When a woman drinks, the alcohol in her bloodstream typically reaches a higher level than a man’s even if both are drinking the same amount. This is because women’s bodies generally have less water than men’s bodies. Because alcohol mixes with body water, a given amount of alcohol is more concentrated in a woman’s body than in men’s.

Older people face greater risk

Older people are at particularly high risk for harmful alcohol–medication interactions. Aging slows the body’s ability to break down alcohol, so alcohol remains in a person’s system longer. Older people also are more likely to take a medication that interacts with alcohol—in fact, they often need to take more than one of these medications.

Timing is important

Knowing how your medications—or any combination of them—affect your ability to drive is a safety measure. Read the Drug Facts label of your prescription or OTC medication and ask your pharmacist or doctor about side effects. Understand the warnings before operating any vehicle.

Some drugs that could make it dangerous to drive include:

opioid pain relievers
prescription drugs for anxiety (for example, benzodiazepines)
anti-seizure drugs (antiepileptic drugs)
antipsychotic drugs
certain antidepressants
products containing codeine
certain cold remedies and allergy products, such as antihistamines (both prescription and OTC)
sleeping pills (including zolpidem, commonly found in Ambien and Ambien CR, Edluar, Intermezzo and Zolpimist)
muscle relaxants
medicines that treat or control symptoms of diarrhea
medicines that treat or prevent symptoms of motion sickness
diet pills, “stay awake” drugs, and other medications with stimulants (e.g., caffeine, ephedrine, pseudoephedrine)

Also, taking cannabidiol (CBD) products and driving can be dangerous. CBD can cause sleepiness, sedation and lethargy. Because of these side effects, consumers should use caution if planning on operating a motor vehicle after consuming any CBD products.

A Word of Warning About Combining Medications

Combining two or more drugs, including alcohol, may result in a synergistic effect. This means that the combined effect is even greater than the sum of the two effects separately.

Synergism is not a rare occurrence. For example, a beer and another depressant may amplify sedative effects. Drinking alcohol or taking sleep medications while using certain antihistamines can increase the sedative effects. Anytime another drug is combined with alcohol, the effects may be different from those expected if either drug is taken alone.

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Impaired driving

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Over the Counter (OTC) & Rx Drugs

Illicit Drugs

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Prevention

Drowsy Driving