Synonyms
Traffic safety and medicines
Definition
Driving and flying under the influence of drugs are common, since most people who use psychoactive medication are outpatients who participate fully in society. Psychoactive medication may produce adverse effects that impair driving and flying, such as reduced alertness, psychomotor impairment, and impaired vision. The most commonly prescribed psychoactive drugs include hypnotics, antidepressants, antihistamines, analgesics, and stimulant drugs. Within these categories of medicines, significant differences concerning their impact on driving and flying ability are evident. For example, benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) can significantly impair driving and flying, whereas other drugs do not. These differences should be taken into account when prescribing psychoactive medication to patients who are planning to drive a car or fly a plane.
Current Concepts and State of Knowledge
Introduction
In modern society, driving and...
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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Verster, J.C. (2014). Driving and Flying Under the Influence of Drugs. In: Stolerman, I., Price, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27772-6_173-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27772-6_173-2
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Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27772-6
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