Some insurers claim that having a bad cold or the flu can significantly affect a driver’s responses, BBC News reported.
Lloyds TSB Insurance used a hazard simulator to test 100 drivers with a range of conditions including colds, stress and headaches and 50 who were healthy.
The research showed that drivers with colds scored, on average, 11 percent worse “” equivalent to the effect of a double whisky.
Experts said being ill could affect driving ability.
The PCP research agency performed a study on 60 people with colds and flu as well as 40 with other conditions including premenstrual syndrome and found that applying the 11 percent effect to reaction times would add 3.3ft to stopping distance if traveling at 30mph – on top of a normal distance of 40ft.
It would add 7.5ft onto the normal stopping distance of 315ft if traveling at 70mph.
YouGov carried out a separate poll of 4,000 people for the insurance companies, and found 22 people had had an accident while fighting a bad cold and five while they had flu.
Among the 33.5 million adults who in Britain, the YouGov figures would equate to 125,000 accidents caused last year by motorists with colds and flu.
The report warned that being sick at the wheel, particularly when combined with medication, fatigue or a small amount of alcohol, could all have a significant impact on a person’s ability to drive.
“Getting behind the wheel when ill causes thousands of accidents every year,” said Paula Llewellyn, a spokesperson for the company.
She advised people to try and avoid driving if suffering from cold or flu.
“Safe driving requires concentration and good reactions, both of which are significantly reduced, even by just a mild cold,” added Dr. Dawn Harper, who is supporting the campaign.
She suggested drivers suffering from these conditions should avoid getting behind the wheel until they are better.
“If you are not well enough to undertake a journey, it could be dangerous for yourself and other road users,” said Duncan Vernon, road safety manager at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).
He warned that severe bouts of common conditions, such as colds, flu, migraine, stomach upsets, infections and hay fever, can affect a driver’s ability to drive safely.
“A heavy cold, for example, can have symptoms that include a headache, blocked sinuses, sneezing and tiredness, and these can impair a driver’s mood, concentration, reactions and judgment.”
“It is important that, when you are ill, you weigh up how necessary journeys are and whether alternative arrangements can be made,” he added.
Vernon recommended a common sense approach is needed, as it is possible to drive safely when feeling ‘slightly under the weather’, but a point may be reached when it is unwise to drive.
“People need to be honest with themselves about their ability to drive safely.”
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