Some prescription drugs may lead to driving prosecutions under proposed legislation, GP warns

Vivienne Clarke

Use of some prescription drugs could impair a motorist's driving and could lead to prosecutions under proposed legislation for drug testing drivers at the scene of road collisions, GP Dr Máire Finn has warned.

People could possibly be driving without realising they are taking drugs which can impair their driving, she told RTÉ radio’s Today show.

This meant that GPs should look at how they prescribe such medicines, she added.

"Generally, we try and use these for short term use only for an acute illness or for an acute anxiety issue," Dr Finn said.

She added that doctors are in a constant battle to pull people back and not prescribe medication to which they could become addicted.

There was also an issue that people could access drugs that had been prescribed for friends, colleagues or family members, Dr Finn warned. Such drugs may not be considered as dangerous as heroin, but benzodiazepines could have a huge impact, she added.

"They're designed to sedate you. They affect your coordination, the effect of perception, and so they have a major impact on driving."

Dr Finn added that some "old-fashioned antihistamines" could sedate a person and impact on their driving.

She urged people to listen to the advice of their pharmacist when they are prescribed a drug and whether it is a drug which will be looked for in random mandatory drug testing.

Dr Finn added that the proposed legislation will likely make GPs look at how they prescribe such drugs, and how they talk to patients.