Medicines and motoring might not mix

Few drivers who take over-the-counter medicines appreciate the affect they can have, says the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

While we all normally pay attention to major health problems that can affect our driving skills, we pay less attention to the host of mundane illnesses that affect many drivers and can increase the risk of having a crash.

A cold, a headache, tiredness, stress, indigestion, a stiff neck, a bad back, stiff joints - the list is endless.

Hay fever sufferers at the wheel - for example - may pose a risk to themselves and other road users at this time of year. A sudden burst of sneezing can often cause a driver to lose concentration and vision for a considerable distance. This means that if a hay fever sufferer has a bout of eight or nine sneezes when travelling at 70 mph on a motorway, vision could be lost for up to half a mile.

If you don’t suffer from hay fever, remember that the driver in front or behind you may be one of the UK's estimated ten million hay fever sufferers about to have a bout of sneezing and be affected for some considerable distance.

There are some simple things that a driver can to if he or she is having a bad hay fever day.

Obviously, if it’s really bad, you shouldn’t drive at all. If your journey is really necessary, try to get someone else to do the driving. Keep all the windows closed all the time to reduce the pollen in the car and keep the mats, carpets and upholstery vacuumed to the dust level down.

Most modern cars can now have pollen filters fitted. Also very important is checking that any medication you take for hay fever is suitable to use if you're going to drive - many hay fever remedies cause drowsiness so, as with any medication, check the label, or ask when buying it.