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Maine driving lesson · Fit to Drive: Fatigue, Distraction, and Alcohol

Other drugs, emotions and your health

A 4-minute lesson from the Maine course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
4 minutes
Course unit
Fit to Drive: Fatigue, Distraction, and Alcohol
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
33, 34, 37

Alcohol isn't the only drug that impairs driving. Legal medicines can hit just as hard, and strong emotions or illness can also take the edge off your driving.

Know the rule

Many prescription and over-the-counter drugs affect driving as alcohol does, or worse. Using a legal medication is not a defense in court.

Handbook p. 33 ↗

Know the rule

Over-the-counter drugs for headaches, colds, allergies or nerves can cause drowsiness; pep pills, "uppers" and diet pills can make you nervous, dizzy and unable to focus. Check the label or ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Handbook p. 33 ↗

Know the rule

Some allergy remedies, cough syrups and cold pills contain codeine, alcohol, antihistamines or bromides that can affect driving and vision.

Handbook p. 33 ↗

Prescription and other drugs

Prescription and other drugs
DrugEffects on a driver
AmphetaminesPoor focus, hallucinations; then very tired and depressed
TranquilizersDizziness or drowsiness when combined with alcohol
BarbituratesDrowsiness, confusion, poor coordination, tremors
MarijuanaDrowsiness; can't judge time and space; tunnel focus
Handbook p. 33 ↗

Know the rule

Tranquilizers can also cause heart failure, dangerously lower blood pressure and cut off the flow of oxygen to the brain.

Handbook p. 33 ↗

Know the rule

Marijuana users have more arrests for traffic violations than other drivers.

Handbook p. 34 ↗

Know the rule

Hard drugs such as morphine, opium, cocaine and heroin are narcotics. They can make users unaware of or indifferent to their surroundings and cause dizziness, incoherence, nausea and vomiting.

Handbook p. 34 ↗

Know the rule

Alcohol and drugs together are often worse than either alone and can be deadly. Driving under the influence of any drug brings the same punishments as driving under the influence of alcohol.

Handbook p. 34 ↗

Emotions: when you're worried, excited, afraid, angry or sad:

  • Give yourself time to cool off: take a short walk or a nap
  • Stay off the road until you feel more in control
  • Give yourself extra driving time; leave early
  • Have someone else drive
Handbook p. 37 ↗

Know the rule

Even a bad cold, a stiff neck or a sore leg can affect your driving. With short-term illness you decide whether you can drive safely; with long-term conditions the BMV shares that decision.

Handbook p. 37 ↗

Medical conditions the BMV evaluates include:

  • Conditions that affect alertness (diabetes, heart problems, epilepsy, severe lung disorders)
  • Physical disabilities (e.g., multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, amputation, paralysis)
  • Vision and hearing problems
Handbook p. 37 ↗

Know the rule

A condition that is stable and well controlled may still be licensed. Some drivers need training or special equipment, which may add a license restriction; a changed condition may require a driving evaluation.

Handbook p. 37 ↗

Put it into practice

You took an allergy pill that says "may cause drowsiness" and feel foggy. It's legal medicine, but if it impairs you and you're charged, that's no defense. Wait until it wears off or have someone else drive.

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.

Is using a prescription drug a legal defense if it impairs your driving?
  1. Yes, if a doctor prescribed it
  2. Yes, for over-the-counter drugs
  3. Only for a first offense
  4. No, it is not a legal defense

Answer: No, it is not a legal defense

The use of an over-the-counter or prescription drug does not constitute a legal defense.

Handbook p. 33 ↗
Which sedatives, used mainly to help people sleep, can cause drowsiness, confusion, tremors and difficulty thinking clearly?
  1. Barbiturates
  2. Amphetamines
  3. Diet pills
  4. Pep pills

Answer: Barbiturates

Barbiturates are sedatives that can cause drowsiness, confusion, and lack of coordination.

Handbook p. 34 ↗
What effect can combining alcohol and other drugs have, compared to either substance alone?
  1. It can be more dangerous than either alone
  2. It is about the same as alcohol alone
  3. It is risky only with illegal drugs
  4. It matters only above 0.08 BAC

Answer: It can be more dangerous than either alone

Combining alcohol and drugs can produce dangerous effects worse than either substance used alone.

Handbook p. 34 ↗
What should you do if you feel worried, angry, or upset before driving?
  1. Turn up the music and drive
  2. Call a friend to vent while driving
  3. Take the highway to relax
  4. Give yourself time to cool off before driving

Answer: Give yourself time to cool off before driving

The handbook advises giving yourself time to cool off or having someone else drive if you're emotionally upset.

Handbook p. 37 ↗
Who helps decide if a long-term medical condition affects your ability to drive safely?
  1. Your insurance company
  2. You alone decide
  3. The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, along with you
  4. Only your family doctor

Answer: The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, along with you

With long-term conditions, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles shares in the decision about your ability to drive.

Handbook p. 37 ↗
Amphetamines can decrease a driver's ability to concentrate and, when their effect wears off, cause fatigue and depression.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Amphetamines can decrease concentration and cause hallucinations, followed by fatigue and depression.

Handbook p. 33 ↗
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