Drugs Cause More Fatal Car Accidents than Alcohol and Marijuana
A new study in Public Health Reports describes a new problem in public safety. Prescription drugs, marijuana, and multiple drug combinations are now showing up in the blood of drivers involved in fatal car crashes on US roads. In past years Alcohol was the primary intoxicant that was found in the blood of drivers but now with the rise in people taking prescription medications this is not the case any more. Now prescription drugs cause more fatal car accidents than alcohol and marijuana.
What is so scary about this is the fact that many times these drugs are prescribed legally and people just don’t know the risks. They feel that if they are prescribed by their doctor it must be ok to drive. It is also a fact that the majority of these cases are in people over the age of 50. In this population these are people that may also be on multiple medications which interact with each other leading to multiple impairments. This is called Polypharmacy, using multiple drugs simultaneously.
Taking more than one medication at a time has numerous potentially adverse effects in your body, in regards to driving a car a combination of drugs results in more impairment than any one single drug. Many times people don’t realize that this is the cars and don’t think twice about getting behind the wheel and this can have devastating effects on ones ability to concentrate and react to a potential car crash.
We all know the dangers of getting behind the wheel after using alcohol and marijuana, but as a society we nee to be more educated on the effects of medication on our ability to drive. If you or know anyone on prescription medications, please consult your doctor and let them know all of the medications you are taking to see if you are safe to be operating a motor vehicle. It is not only to protect yourself, it is to protect the other drivers on the road.
Let us help you get off the prescription medications because now prescription drugs cause more fatal car accidents than alcohol and marijuana.
250 W. Baseline Rd. #107
Tempe AZ 85283
480-201-7929
