Watery and swollen eyes, frequent sneezing … The symptoms of hay fever, in addition to being disturbing on a daily basis, can constitute a danger at the wheel, reminds the Walloon Agency for Road Safety (AWSR) on Wednesday. “According to a study by the University of Maastricht, untreated hay fever has the same effect while driving as two or three glasses of alcohol,” explains Belinda Dematia, AWSR spokesperson.
“When we sneeze, we close our eyes for a brief moment. This reflex mechanism is impossible to avoid, and can ‘blind’ the driver on average for 3 seconds, preventing them from seeing the road and reacting for a distance of ‘regarding 100 meters at 120 km/h’, underlines the AWSR. In addition, hay fever disrupts sleep and can increase the risk of drowsiness while driving.
Treatments and side effects
In addition, prescribed antihistamines can also cause drowsiness, dizziness and inattention. These effects are likely to increase the risk of an accident. In Wallonia, one in five drivers say they have taken the wheel “at least once a year following taking antihistamines or medicine for the flu or cold”while the risk of an accident is five times higher under the influence of medication.
To note that nowadays, their effects are still less important that at the time Explain. “We are now in a generation of antihistamines”non-sedating“which causes much less of this type of effect” explains Arnaud Lambert, pharmacist. “Everyone will react differently to this undesirable effect” he specifies. Also, prefer to take them at the time of going to sleep, in order to avoid any undesirable effects in the car. “
Some reflexes to adopt
Before setting off, the Agency advises those concerned to find out regarding the effects of medical treatment, to have the vehicle’s pollen filter changed regularly and to ask, when the vehicle is serviced, to clean the circuit air conditioning and ventilation of the passenger compartment, or to vacuum the vehicle regularly.
It is also better to keep the car windows closed, wear glasses and avoid parking spaces with high concentrations of pollen. In Belgium, it is estimated that one person in six suffers from hay fever.
