Just because you know how to drive does not mean that driving is easy. Driving a motor vehicle and avoiding car accidents in Wisconsin requires a lot of attention, focus, quick reactions, and the ability to multi-task.

Many Wisconsin motorists do not perceive how prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs affect the physical and mental conditions they need to drive safely.

Some medications are harmless; others have side effects that can seriously impair the patient's driving capacity. In most cases, the dangerous side effects of drugs will be much stronger in:

• Elderly drivers;
• Teen drivers;
• Any driver when drugs are taken in combination with alcohol or other drugs.

What medications have dangerous side effects?

Certain categories of prescription and OTC drugs contain substances that have a direct impact on the mental, emotional and physical abilities of the patient and should not be taken when driving, such as:

• Antidepressants and sedatives;
• Antihistamines to combat allergies;
• Decongestants;
• Anti-nausea and motion sickness medicines;
• Medications to prevent seizures;
• Narcotic painkillers;
• Cough syrups;
• Blood pressure medicine;
• Ulcer medication.

The list is longer and, before taking any new medication, drivers should read the labels carefully to find out about side effects such as impaired perception, focus, coordination or balance, slower reaction time, dizziness, drowsiness, or anxiety.

What if you need to drive AND take medication?

You should talk to your doctor or pharmacist who will discuss with you how to:

• Find medication that has fewer side effects;
• Choose a better timing to take the drugs;
• Adjust the dose;
• Find alternative ways of curing your ailment.

Never forget that medications are supposed to heal you, and should not be the reason why you are hurt or killed in a car accident.

If you have been injured in a Wisconsin or Illinois car, truck or motorcycle accident, contact the attorneys of Hupy & Abraham, S.C. today at 800-800-5676 (toll-free) or 414-223-4800 (local) for a free evaluation of your case, or send us an e-mail with your questions. Hupy & Abraham have lawyer offices in Milwaukee, Madison, and Appleton in Wisconsin, and Gurnee and Bloomington in Illinois.