Taking Over the Counter Medicine Can Cause Car Accidents

As a personal injury attorney helping seriously injured accident victims across Florida, including Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Joseph Lipsky wants his fellow drivers to know about a recent caution issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about the dangers, and increase in car accidents, associated with driving after taking many common non-prescription medications.

Although common sense would also indicate it, many regularly taken medications, including those used to treat conditions such as sneezing or motion sickness, can cause a driver to become dangerously drossy so that their ability to prevent a car accident is greatly diminished. In fact, according to the FDA, many medications can adversely affect drivers even a day after they are taken.

In order to prevent becoming impaired to the extent which may cause a car accident, we strongly suggest that drivers thoroughly read the warning labels of any medication they may take. Particular attention must also be paid to warnings about how a particular medication may interact with other medicines. Following instructions is critically important as even a slight reduction in a driver’s reaction time can result in a car accident. As a driver’s brain needs almost a full second to think about a situation before acting, such as by pushing the brake, any additional delay will cause a vehicle traveling at 30 miles per hour to move an additional 45 feet before the medicated driver can begin to slow or stop his car, just like any other type of impairment, including drunk driving. This distance is more than enough time in which a crash may occur.

We concur with the FDA’s recommendations and remind our fellow Floridians that taking any medication, including over the counter ones, can have deadly consequences.