Latest news with #drivingSafety
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Drivers warned about taking one medicine on long trips that could lead to £1,000 fine
Experts have warned drivers setting off on long summer trips to think twice about taking travel sickness medication, as side effects could lead to fines of up to £1,000. Concerns are rising about how over-the-counter remedies such as travel sickness tablets containing hyoscine hydrobromide which might impair driving ability. Bumper, a provider of interest-free car repair finance, has issued a warning that side effects from these medications could affect concentration and control behind the wheel, potentially resulting in legal penalties. A spokesperson from Bumper explained: 'Driving while experiencing side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, or blurred vision could lead to a £1,000 fine for not having proper control of the vehicle or a clear view of the road ahead. "If you're unsure whether it's safe to drive after taking travel sickness medication, it's important to consult a doctor or pharmacist before getting behind the wheel.' To avoid relying on medication, Bumper recommends these tips to help prevent travel sickness naturally: Avoid heavy or greasy meals before travelling Stay hydrated with water or chamomile tea Chew gum to ease nausea Take turns driving if possible Keep the car well ventilated Distract yourself with music or conversation The NHS website says of hyoscine hydrobromide: "It is a travel sickness medicine that belongs to a group of medicines called anticholinergics or antimuscarinics. "It's thought to work by affecting your inner ear and your brain to control vomiting. It also relaxes the muscles in the walls of your stomach. "Hyoscine hydrobromide comes as patches that you stick to your skin and tablets that you suck, chew or swallow. "It can also be given by injection, but this is usually only done in hospital. It is given to reduce the amount of saliva in your mouth which can help with symptoms if you're having palliative or end of life care. "You can buy the tablets and patches at pharmacies." Get daily breaking news updates on your phone by joining our WhatsApp community here. We occasionally treat members to special offers, promotions and ads from us and our partners. See our Privacy Notice.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Allstate report claims Portlanders have become safer drivers over the past decade
PORTLAND, Ore. () — Portlanders have become safer drivers over the years, according to new data from a national insurance company. Allstate released its latest earlier this week. The company assessed its collision damage claims from January 2022 to December 2023 to determine how the nation's 200 most populous cities fare when it comes to driving safety. Bend man arrested after over 100 dead animals found in home Based on this data, Allstate found that Brownsville, Texas, Boise, Idaho, Fort Collins, Colo., Cary, N.C. and Laredo, Texas had the best drivers over the two-year period. Eugene was the highest-ranking Oregon city at No. 10, while Salem ranked at No. 52 and Portland ranked at No. 102. But overall, the report determined the Pacific Northwest was the region with the biggest improvement in driving safety over the past decade. Researchers highlighted Portland among cities that have seen significant declines in vehicle collisions, with the Rose City climbing up by 81 spots compared to 2015's Best Drivers Report. The Portland Bureau of Transportation has recorded a slight improvement in driving safety as well. The latest Vision Zero Report revealed a 16% decline from 69 traffic deaths in 2023 to 58 traffic deaths in 2024, but : 'this is still significantly higher than the average 41 killed in the five years before the pandemic, 2015-19.' Outside of Portland, Allstate also highlighted Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, and Anchorage, Alaska, as the region's most-improved cities. The least-improved cities — St. Louis, Kansas City, Mo., and Des Moines, Iowa — are all found in the Midwest. DEI policies could be on chopping block in Washington County Boston, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Worcester, Mass., and Springfield, Mass. were ranked as the top five riskiest cities for driving. Allstate noted that several of the most 'collision-prone' destinations have seen crash rates surge by more than 25% since 2015. 'No matter where you drive, the best way to protect yourself and others is simple: buckle up, stay focused and slow down,' Allstate's Vice President of Auto Claims Sandee Lindorfer said in the report. 'These are three of the most effective ways to prevent crashes, and they cost nothing but attention.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Medscape
13-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Antipsychotic Adherence Linked With Lower Car Crash Risk
In drivers with schizophrenia, better adherence to antipsychotic medication is associated with a lower risk for motor vehicle crashes, according to new research. In a case-crossover study, perfect adherence to antipsychotic medication in drivers with schizophrenia was associated with a 50% reduction in the odds of a crash, relative to complete nonadherence. Physicians and fitness-to-drive policy makers might consider antipsychotic treatment adherence as a condition for maintaining an active driver's license in these patients, the authors suggest. The study was published June 9 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Driving Safety Data 'Whether a person is safe to drive is a question that comes up for psychiatrists and physicians like me who look after people when they are in the hospital with a worsening of their schizophrenia,' study author John A. Staples, MD, MPH, clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, told Medscape Medical News . John A. Staples, MD, MPH 'This is particularly important for people who have schizophrenia, because we know schizophrenia impairs their judgment. Often, these individuals have had problems with driving in the past,' Staples said. The investigators examined population-based administrative health and driving data from British Columbia. They included patients with schizophrenia who were involved as drivers in police-attended motor vehicle crashes from 2001 to 2016. Eligible participants filled prescriptions for antipsychotic medication as outpatients in the 2 years before the crash. 'We have data on all their health issues specific to hospital visits with physicians and medication data, and we also have data on their driving, including crashes and traffic accidents. It's unique that we have both data sets,' Staples noted. The investigators assessed adherence by looking at how often in the 30 days before their crash these drivers filled prescriptions for their antipsychotic medication. They also examined how often patients filled the prescriptions in a 30-day period 1 year before the crash. The final sample consisted of 1130 crashes involving 1001 drivers. At the time of the crash, the median age of the drivers was 37 years. Two-thirds of participants were male, 58.1% resided in an urban area, and 84.5% had a driver's license. More than half (54.8%) also had one or more traffic violations in the past 3 years. About half (49.8%) of all crashes resulted in an injury, and 0.7% resulted in a fatality. Attending police reported that the driver's condition was a contributing factor in 43.5% of the crashes. 'We hope these findings encourage people with schizophrenia to take their antipsychotics,' Staples said. The results should also highlight the need for physicians faced with patients who may not be adherent to think about driving safety. 'We don't want there to be a crash where somebody gets hurt, but on the other hand, suspending or canceling somebody's license is a grave blow to independence and the ability to work. That's the difficult tradeoff physicians are often left struggling with. We want to make sure we are making decisions that are justified when we take away the freedom of being able to drive,' Staples said. Valuable Research Mark Rapoport, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto, told Medscape Medical News that physicians treating patients with schizophrenia should stress the importance of adherence and driving safety. 'This is a very good study that shows the positive outcome of staying on medication. But there is variability among individuals, so it is hard to make a sweeping declaration that everyone must be adherent or they can't drive. To me as a clinician, it comes down to the judgment and insight of the patient. Do they have the wherewithal to realize that they should wait until they take their medication before they get behind the wheel? That they need to take another form of transportation? Some people don't have the ability to do that,' Rapoport said. 'A study like this can't answer those nuanced questions, but it is a good study that shows the very positive outcome of staying on medication,' he said. Simon B. Sherry, PhD 'Given the elevated crash risk among those with schizophrenia, this research is valuable in that it provides evidence of the efficacy of antipsychotics in improving a person's safety and well-being as it applies to driving,' Simon B. Sherry, PhD, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Dalhousie University in Halifax, told Medscape Medical News. 'The ability to drive can provide freedom and independence and improve quality of life. Unfortunately, many of the symptoms of schizophrenia, such as disorganized thinking; reduced motivation; trouble with attention, memory, and decision-making; and difficulty with daily activities, can make regularly taking medication more challenging,' Sherry said. 'As a psychologist, I do not prescribe medication, but I can vouch for the efficacy of nonpharmaceutical treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy for managing symptoms. It would be interesting to see future research comparing whether this therapy is also associated with lower crash risk and whether such treatment is equally effective in reducing crash risk as antipsychotic medications,' he said.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Car on M11 in Essex with fridge, mattress and table on roof
Police stopped a driver on a motorway with a fridge, mattress and a table tied to their car roof with "very thin rope". Essex Police shared a picture of the vehicle on Facebook and urged drivers not to put "yourself or others at risk". "We didn't realise we'd have to explicitly say this... but driving on the M11 with a fridge, a mattress and an outdoor foldable table all held by a very thin rope is not safe," said the force's post."Please don't do it," it added. The motorist has been reported for driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Truck jackknifes on I-75. Monroe County officials urge caution on wet roads
Officials in Monroe County are urging caution as rain has caused unsafe driving conditions, and a tractor-trailer jackknifed on Interstate 75 Tuesday evening. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office announced the incident at around 7:45 p.m. Tuesday. No injuries were reported in the incident, but the right two lanes of I-75 near mile marker 180 were blocked off. 'We urge everyone to please use caution while driving and if you do not need to be on the roads please stay at home,' the sheriff's office said in a news release. Photos of the incident showed a truck cab hauling an Amazon tractor-trailer ran off the road and was facing the wrong direction in a ditch.
