Norfolk Virginia Injury Lawyer Report: Driving with a Cold has a Similar Effect to Driving Drunk

It’s common knowledge that driving drunk can impair a driver’s abilities but a shocking new study suggests getting behind the wheel with a cold can have the same effect.

Driving with a heavy cold can have a similar effect as getting in your car after drinking more than four double whiskies, according to a Press Association report.

The British research found drivers who get on the road while they are struggling with a heavy cold or flu could be causing thousands of accidents a year.

“Reaction times dropped sharply, sudden braking became much more frequent and cornering became erratic as the motorist was less aware of surrounding traffic,” Press Association reported.

The Insurance company Young Marmalade carried out the research jointly with the British car accessories retailer Halfords.
The findings support work carried out by the Cardiff University Common Cold Unit. The research found a participant who had an “excellent” driving rating of 95 percent when healthy dropped to just 60 percent when suffering from a cold.

As experienced Norfolk, VA car accident injury lawyers, we are alarmed by this study. We have reported on numerous cases in which drunk driving has led to death on the roads, including a recent case in Gloucester County, VA.

See this video about drug abuse and driving.

If you hurt or kill someone when driving drunk you can expect to face the full force of the criminal and the civil law. The same cannot be said about driving with a cold.

But taking too many prescription drugs used to treat an illness could be a factor in the case of a road crash that leads to a personal injury or a death.
See this advice from Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles on driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

Driving while impaired for any reason is nothing to sneeze at.