According to motoring safety experts, drivers who have a heavy cold tend to have similar, or worse, reaction times than people who have knocked back four large whiskies.
Drivers who have a heavy cold, or a bad dose of the flu, tend to suffer from a major loss of concentration when they’re behind the wheel, according to new research from safety experts.
It was found that there was a dramatic increase in poor driving when people with a bad cold attempted certain scientific tests. According to the Telegraph, the reaction time of drivers with a cold dropped sharply and sudden breaking became more frequent as drivers became less aware of their surrounding environment.
The research also found that having a bad cold also impaired the driver’s ability to turn a corner properly. So maybe us men have been giving women drivers a hard time. They could just be under the weather (all at the same time).
According to the experts, having a cold and driving can reduce the driver’s ability to drive competently by up to 50 per cent.
In comparison, your driving ability is reduced to 50 per cent after knocking back four large whiskies.
“A heavy cold can impair a driver’s mood, concentration and judgement,” said Nigel Lacy, Co Founder of Young Marmalade, the company that carried out the tests.
According to Halfords Winter Driving Expert Mark Dolphin, one of the major factors that cause cold sufferers to crash their cars is sneezing.
Next time you have a cold and need to drive somewhere do yourself and everyone else a favour, stay in bed. If you drive to work here’s your sick day excuse wrapped up in a nice little bundle.
