Medication use by the driving population

This study investigated patterns of medicine use among Spanish drivers. The study was conducted in the fall of 1993 on 1500 drivers aged over 16, all of whom completed accordingly and then returned the questionnaires. Among those surveyed, 45.1% had used drugs at least once in the previous year, while 17.3% of drivers surveyed were using medicines chronically. Chronic users, the majority of whom were female and belonging to the older age group, were using an average of two drugs. Central nervous system drugs (21.7%), respiratory system drugs (19.2%), cardiovascular system drugs (14.9%) and alimentary tract drugs (14.3%) were the most frequent groups of medication used. Of those surveyed 76.5% who took drugs regularly had never been warned by health professionals about the effects of the medication use on driving skills. The study shows both how often drivers use medication as well as the need to inform patients and drivers about the effect of medication on driving performance.