New fear over prescription drugs

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Urgent research is needed into the effects anti-depressant drugs have on driving ability, according to the RAC Foundation.

Known side effects of anti-depressants include dizziness, blurred vision and aggression, yet little is understood about how they affect users’ behaviour behind the wheel. The use of anti-depressant drugs rose 732% between 1990 and 1995, and the Department for Transport has also called for research into the subject.

The RAC Foundation’s executive director, Edmund King, said: ‘It is imperative that the Government undertakes conclusive research about the safety of anti-depressant drugs for motorists.’

The Foundation also wants the Government to back a proposed new bill that would give police more powers to test motorists for drug use at the roadside.

Conservative MP Nick Hawkins is introducing the bill, which would give the police roadside powers to test motorists for illegal drug use.

King says the bill deserves Government support in light of research by Durham Police, which found that half of the motorists killed in its area had traces of illegal substances in their bloodstream.