Mental Health

Drivers Sneezing on the Road Are Responsible for 2,500 Accidents a Week: Study

By Makini Brice | Update Date: Feb 14, 2013 03:05 PM EST

Flu season may be ending but, with allergy season just around the corner, many of us have been known to sneeze in the car a few times. However, that sneeze could be putting our lives at risk. According to a new report, sneezing, blowing your nose or looking for a tissue is responsible for an estimated 2,500 accidents each week in the middle of winter.

According to the Daily Mail, sneezing is most hazardous in the middle of winter. That is because, with the cold, many roads are icy. That hazard is extremely horrifying on the highways. During a single sneeze, drivers could travel as far as 50 feet with their eyes closed.

Conducted by British autobody chain Halfords Autocentre, the study found that about 9 percent of drivers admit to taking their eyes off the road because of a cold or flu. However, that number may even be higher, because the same study found that 40 percent of drivers confessed to going into work even when they were sick. Since October 2012, the start of flu season, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in the United States said that there were 29.8 influenza-related hospitalizations for every 100,000 people.

"Driving a car with such symptoms would certainly be irresponsible and could be held as an aggravating factor in any accident that led to a death or serious injury, laying the driver open to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving," Steve Rounds, from the Central Motorway Police Group in the United Kingdom, said. He suggests that motorists stay home if they are feeling ill.

In addition, if you are not feeling well, experts suggest that you maintain a distance of four cars' lengths from the cars in front of you. That way, you can easily maintain the necessary stopping distance.

© 2023 Counsel & Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics