06/01/2005
Drowsiness is 'silent killer' on NI roads
Driving while on prescribed medicines is a real danger on Northern Ireland roads, as warning labels are often ignored, University of Ulster research has revealed.
According to Dr Imelda Haran, Lecturer in Transportation at the University of Ulster, many drugs prescribed to combat conditions ranging from blood pressure to congestion contain sleep-inducing qualities, which impair driving abilities. She concluded that drowsiness at the wheel was a silent killer in Northern Ireland’s continuing carnage on the roads.
In Northern Ireland 24 million prescription items are dispensed each year, of which at least one quarter are fatigue inducing.
Dr Haran said she studied people who had been prescribed medicines, which carried warnings of drowsiness as a side effect. Nearly half of those studied reported excessive daytime sleepiness.
Many had difficulty getting a full night’s uninterrupted sleep - eight hours or more - and consequently felt the need to doze during the day.
“Results confirmed that drivers consuming prescribed medicines are a high risk group as sleepiness can capture them at the most inappropriate times,” Dr Haran said.
“The warnings of drowsiness issued with certain prescribed drugs should not be taken lightly. The side effects on performance and the subsequent fatal effects on driving warrant caution.”
(MB/SP)
According to Dr Imelda Haran, Lecturer in Transportation at the University of Ulster, many drugs prescribed to combat conditions ranging from blood pressure to congestion contain sleep-inducing qualities, which impair driving abilities. She concluded that drowsiness at the wheel was a silent killer in Northern Ireland’s continuing carnage on the roads.
In Northern Ireland 24 million prescription items are dispensed each year, of which at least one quarter are fatigue inducing.
Dr Haran said she studied people who had been prescribed medicines, which carried warnings of drowsiness as a side effect. Nearly half of those studied reported excessive daytime sleepiness.
Many had difficulty getting a full night’s uninterrupted sleep - eight hours or more - and consequently felt the need to doze during the day.
“Results confirmed that drivers consuming prescribed medicines are a high risk group as sleepiness can capture them at the most inappropriate times,” Dr Haran said.
“The warnings of drowsiness issued with certain prescribed drugs should not be taken lightly. The side effects on performance and the subsequent fatal effects on driving warrant caution.”
(MB/SP)
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