Colds and Their Danger Whilst Driving
Have you had a cold or the flu recently and driven your car? Police and many other safety groups have just warned that doing so could be very dangerous given the circumstances.
Common symptoms of influenza and the common cold such as sneezing and coughing can be factors in losing control of your car which could result in accidents or even being booked by the police for dangerous driving.
With the recent cold weather there has been a large amount of viral illnesses sweeping the country, one prediction being that currently one in five motorists have cold or flu like symptoms.
Results drawn from a recent survey of 2000 people has shown that almost 8% of drivers will take their eyes off the road whilst searching for a tissue, this along with drowsiness or tiredness can lead to a much larger then normal risk of an accident whilst driving.
Another reason why driving with a cold or flu has been condemned by many, including the police, is the dangers of sneezing whilst driving.
When you sneeze you have to close your eyes which could lead to driving with your eyes closed for short periods.
There are no official figures currently that link accidents to driver illnesses such as Flu or Cold symptoms but recent simulations carried out by university studies have shown that drivers can indeed have a much slower reaction time should they be afflicted with a form of illness.
This isn't the first time that research has been carried out on the subject, past research carried out by a UK bank/insurance company showed that driving with a cold or flu could well be the same as driving under the influence of a double whiskey.
One hundred volunteers with headaches and other flu symptoms were tested on a driving hazard simulator and performed 11% worse then drivers with no illness present.
When the above research was carried out in 2009 it was predicted that 125,000 accidents were caused by illness at the wheel.
So when you have a cold or flu next time remember just how dangerous it could be.
Taking a bus, taxi or even walking could be beneficial to both yourselves and fellow travellers.
Common symptoms of influenza and the common cold such as sneezing and coughing can be factors in losing control of your car which could result in accidents or even being booked by the police for dangerous driving.
With the recent cold weather there has been a large amount of viral illnesses sweeping the country, one prediction being that currently one in five motorists have cold or flu like symptoms.
Results drawn from a recent survey of 2000 people has shown that almost 8% of drivers will take their eyes off the road whilst searching for a tissue, this along with drowsiness or tiredness can lead to a much larger then normal risk of an accident whilst driving.
Another reason why driving with a cold or flu has been condemned by many, including the police, is the dangers of sneezing whilst driving.
When you sneeze you have to close your eyes which could lead to driving with your eyes closed for short periods.
There are no official figures currently that link accidents to driver illnesses such as Flu or Cold symptoms but recent simulations carried out by university studies have shown that drivers can indeed have a much slower reaction time should they be afflicted with a form of illness.
This isn't the first time that research has been carried out on the subject, past research carried out by a UK bank/insurance company showed that driving with a cold or flu could well be the same as driving under the influence of a double whiskey.
One hundred volunteers with headaches and other flu symptoms were tested on a driving hazard simulator and performed 11% worse then drivers with no illness present.
When the above research was carried out in 2009 it was predicted that 125,000 accidents were caused by illness at the wheel.
So when you have a cold or flu next time remember just how dangerous it could be.
Taking a bus, taxi or even walking could be beneficial to both yourselves and fellow travellers.
Source...