Globally the major health issues are still the infectious diseases HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. However, chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes are becoming more prevalent.
Among infants, diarrhoeal and respiratory diseases are the biggest killers; but worldwide, the leading cause of death among young people, in the 10-24 year age group, is traffic accidents. So, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated the third Sunday in November each year as World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims.
According to WHO statistics, road crashes kill between 1 and 2 million people every year, and injure or disable about 50 million more. In Australia the number of deaths each year due to road accidents has been steadily declining over the last 15 years or so. The number reached a peak of just over 2,000 in 1995 and was less than 1,500 in 2008.
That was last year. In the nine months till September 2009 there has been almost a 6% increase compared with the same period last year. Road crash deaths in NSW, South Australia and Tasmania are chiefly responsible for this statistical increase.
All road deaths are a tragic waste of life. That so many young drivers and passengers have died on Australian roads is a cause of both great sadness and concern in our communities.
Various restrictions have been proposed for newly licensed drivers. As well, successive governments have sought to encourage greater use of public transport for both economic and environmental reasons; however, living in such a vast country it’s inevitable we will continue to depend to a large degree on privately owned motor vehicles to travel around.
And with that need to travel comes the need to act carefully and responsibly on our roads. Despite the production of safer cars and the building of better roads, traffic accidents continue to be a major cause of death and disability in Australia.
The major causes of traffic accidents are all documented – driving too fast, drink driving, and fatigue. Of these, probably the most difficult to control is driver fatigue. Certainly we can impose speed limits, provide random breath tests and legislate for the wearing of seat belts, but it’s very hard to make laws to keep us awake.
There are many factors which can contribute to feeling drowsy when driving; one which is often forgotten is medicines.
Of course, we all know alcohol can slow our reflexes even when we don’t actually feel tired. Many medicines can do this too; and taking certain medicines and drinking alcohol as well, even a small amount, can become a lethal cocktail.
When starting a new medicine, one prescribed by your doctor or one you buy without a prescription, always check with your pharmacist about the possible side effects; and ask especially if it’s likely to cause drowsiness. If you take a medicine to aid sleep, drowsiness sufficient to affect your driving skills, may occur the following day.
And drowsiness is just one side effect that can affect our driving skills. Some medicines can make us dizzy, light-headed or faint. They can cause us to be angry or aggressive; to feel sick, shaky or unsteady and to have blurred or double vision. All these effects can make it unsafe for us to drive, ride or even walk!
If your medicine does affect your driving, ask your pharmacist if there is an alternative. For instance, if you get hay fever there are now antihistamines and other medicines that won’t make you feel drowsy.
There are also times when missing a dose of your prescribed medicine might cause problems. For example, if your medical condition such as epilepsy, anxiety or diabetes is not properly managed, a dangerous situation might result.
You can get more detailed information about the effects of medicines on driving, from pharmacies around Australia providing the Self Care health information. Ring 1300 369 772 for the nearest location, or log onto the Pharmaceutical society website at www.psa.org.au and click on Self Care Pharmacy Finder, and ask for the Self Care card titled Medicines and Driving.
