PEOPLE taking prescription drugs are still getting behind the wheel despite warnings that the medications may impair their ability to drive.
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Road safety researcher Dr Tanya Smyth from QUT's Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety said driving while affected by prescription and over-the-counter medications had the potential to be as dangerous as driving under the influence of illegal drugs.
She said warning labels on medications about the dangers of driving were not enough to stop people.
"With 275 million prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists annually, which doesn't include hospitals, chances are most people have taken prescription medication at some point and for many of the medications dispensed a warning about driving impairment is recommended.
"The concern is that drivers may be assessing themselves as safe to drive, when in fact they are not.
"Many drivers think that the impairing effects of medicines only occur when they are used excessively, or taken in excess, but that is not the case.
"In Australia drivers with benzodiazepines (used to treat sleep and anxiety disorders) levels at therapeutic concentrations and higher, were more likely to be culpable in a crash."
Dr Smyth said with increased numbers of medications being made available away from pharmacies, users were missing out on warnings from pharmacists which increased their reliance on labels.
She said more research was needed to understand the effects of medication, as individual responses often varied.
"Some medications can cause a variety of impairments including drowsiness, increased reaction time, loss of mental concentration, shakiness and affect coordination and these all make it unsafe to drive, cycle or use machinery.
"Worse still, impairment can be compounded when combined with other medications or taken with alcohol," she said.
