Medicated drivers in Ohio: get the surprising facts.

In 2009, AAA Foundation for Traffic safety conducted a survey of drivers age 55 and older to determine their knowledge regarding the use of prescription and other the counter medications while driving. The study found that more than 70 percent of those surveyed did not realize that medication can affect one’s ability to drive.

The researchers interviewed 630 men and women with an average age of 70. More than 90 percent of those surveyed said driving was their main means of transportation and 69 percent of those surveyed said that they regularly used at least one prescription medication that was on the list of medication with the potential to impair driving. Ten percent of elderly drivers said that they use five or more medications that affect driving ability. However, only 18 percent of those taking these medications had been warned that the drugs they were prescribed could affect their safety as a driver and potentially cause a car accident.

This survey is not the first study suggesting that elderly drivers are at higher risk for traffic accidents. Statistics collected by the NHTSA show that elderly drivers have a higher risk for traffic accidents. They are far more likely than other drivers to receive traffic citations for failing to yield, turning improperly, and running red lights and stop signs. A person 65 or older who is involved in a car accident is more likely to be seriously hurt, more likely to require hospitalization, and more likely to die than younger people involved in the same crash.

Older drivers account for:

• 5% of all people injured in traffic crashes

• 13% of all traffic fatalities

• 13% of all vehicle occupant fatalities

• 18% of all pedestrian fatalities

In the next twenty years, the number of drivers over the age of 70 is expected to triple. As our population ages, the number of medication caused accidents is growing. Drivers who drive while taking ability-altering prescription medications are just as much of a hazard to others on the road as drunk drivers.

It is important that all drivers check their medications and make sure that they are safe for use while driving. Those taking narcotic painkillers, sedatives, antihistamines, benzodiazepines, ACE-inhibitors, beta blockers and blood pressure medicines should check with a pharmacist before getting behind the wheel. It only takes a minute to ask a question, but that minute could save a life.

If you have been seriously injured by a medicated driver in Ohio, the Akron car crash attorneys at Chester Law Group are here to protect your rights and help you get a fair insurance settlement. Contact our office at 1-800-218-4213 to request our free DVD, What You Should Know about Motor Vehicle Accident Claims, or schedule a free case evaluation with an experienced Ohio car accident lawyer.

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