UK road safety experts warn drivers on nine types of medication could be unfit to drive
UK road safety experts warn drivers on nine types of medication could be unfit to drive(Image: BrianAJackson via Getty Images)
Motorists on nine specific types of medication have been cautioned they could be “unfit to drive”. James Luckhurst, GEM’s head of road safety, emphasised that drivers on certain medicines could pose a significant safety risk.
James stated: “Some medicines can make you drowsy and therefore unfit to drive. If you ignore the warnings, you could be breaking the law as well as putting yourself and others at increased risk of a collision.
“If you feel unwell, or if any medication you take carries a drowsiness or ‘may affect driving’ warning, our advice is simple: do not drive. Arrange alternative transport while you recover, or ask your doctor or pharmacist if there’s a non-drowsy alternative.”
In England, Scotland and Wales, it’s illegal to drive with legal drugs in your system if they impair your driving. It’s an offence to drive if you have over the specified limits of certain drugs in your blood and they haven’t been prescribed to you.
Consult your doctor about whether you should drive if you’ve been prescribed any of the following drugs:
- amphetamine, for example dexamphetamine or selegiline
- clonazepam
- diazepam
- flunitrazepam
- lorazepam
- methadone
- morphine or opiate and opioid-based drugs, for example codeine, tramadol or fentanyl
- oxazepam
- temazepam
You can drive after taking these drugs if they’ve been prescribed to you and you’ve followed advice on how to take them from a healthcare professional, or they are not causing you to be unfit to drive even if you’re above the specified limits.
You could face prosecution if you drive with certain levels of these drugs in your body and they haven’t been prescribed to you. If you’re found guilty of drug driving, you could face a minimum 1 year driving ban, an unlimited fine, up to 6 months in prison and a criminal record.
Your driving licence will also indicate that you’ve been convicted for drug driving. This will remain on your record for 11 years. The harshest penalty for causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drugs is life imprisonment.
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