A 3-minute lesson from the Arkansas course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Alcohol isn't the only thing that impairs drivers. Prescription medicine, over-the-counter pills and illegal drugs can all affect your reflexes, judgment, vision and alertness, sometimes more than alcohol.
Know the rule
Many drugs besides alcohol affect driving, and the handbook says their effects are worse than those caused by alcohol.
Prescription and over-the-counter drugs for headaches, colds, hay fever or other allergies, or to calm the nerves, can make you drowsy and affect your driving skills.
Pep pills, "uppers" and diet pills make you feel alert for a short time. Later they can make you nervous and dizzy, unable to concentrate, and give you poor vision.
Never drink alcohol while taking medications or other drugs. They can multiply alcohol's effects or add effects of their own, causing serious health problems or even death.
Illegal drugs hurt your health and your driving. Studies show marijuana users make more mistakes, have more trouble adjusting to glare, and are arrested for traffic violations more often.
You took an allergy pill this morning and now feel sleepy on the way to work. Don't push through it. Pull over safely and find another ride, and next time read the label for a drowsiness warning before driving.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
What effect can many prescription and over-the-counter drugs, such as cold or allergy medicine, have on driving?
They always improve reaction time
They can cause drowsiness
They have no effect on driving ability
They improve night vision
Answer: They can cause drowsiness
Drugs for colds, hay fever, allergies, or nerves can make a person drowsy and impair driving.