Abstract
AbstractAdequate car driving ability is essential for accident avoidance. Driving ability means the capability of the driver to keep a technically safe vehicle on a safe road without accident and free of danger to himself and to other traffic participants. Driving ability is influenced by the overall state of motivation, experience and fatigue of the driver, and is dependent on higher cognitive functions, perception, response selection and sensorimotor functioning. The large number of traffic accidents attributed to so‐called ‘driver failure’ include a high percentage of accidents in which the driver had taken drugs within the last 24‐hour period before the accident occurred. Results are presented from various studies showing different effects on driving performance and reaction time following nighttime application of long‐acting and short‐acting hypnotics. Furthermore, alcohol was used as an agent interfering with the test drugs. Different benzodiazepines were tested in two different situations characterized by high and low loads of motor coordination and vigilance level. In both experimental approaches it was revealed that in comparison to other hypnotics lormetazepam belongs to the group which do not exert hangover effects on drivingrelated skills. Even if lormetazepam were taken together with alcohol in the evening no driving‐related decrements were discovered the next morning. In conclusion it could be stated that lormetazepam belongs to the class of safe hypnotics inducing driving impairment far less than that produced by 0·8 BAC mg/ml, which is the upper legal limit for driving in Germany.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
