The use and safety of medications known to affect driving in Jordan: A cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the main driving-impairing medications used by drivers in Jordan, the reported frequency of medication side effects, the frequency of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) while using driving-impairing medicines, as well as factors associated with MVCs.

Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 1,049 individuals (age 18–75 years) who are actively driving vehicles and taking at least one medication known to affect driving (anxiolytics, antidepressants, hypnotics, antiepileptics, opioids, sedating antihistamines, hypoglycemic agents, antihypertensives, central nervous system [CNS] stimulants, and herbals with CNS-related effects) was conducted in Amman, Jordan, over a period of 8 months (September 2013–May 2014) using a structured validated questionnaire.

Results: Sixty-three percent of participants noticed a link between a medicine taken and feeling sleepy and 57% stated that they experience at least one adverse effect other than sleepiness from their medication. About 22% of the participants reported having a MVC while on medication. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that among the participants who reported having a crash while taking a driving-impairing medication, the odds ratios were significantly higher for the use of inhalant substance (odds ratio [OR] = 2.787, P = .014), having chronic conditions (OR = 1.869, P = .001), and use of antiepileptic medications (OR = 2.348, P = .008) and significantly lower for the use of antihypertensives (OR = 0.533, P = .008).

Conclusion: The study results show high prevalence of adverse effects of medications with potential for driving impairment, including involvement in MVCs. Our findings highlight the types of patient-related and medication-related factors associated with MVCs in Jordan, such as inhalant use, presence of chronic conditions, and use of antiepileptics.

KEYWORDS:

• traffic safety
• motor vehicle crashes
• driving
• medications
• Jordan

Acknowledgment

We are grateful to PharmD students at the Faculty of Pharmacy, the University of Jordan for assisting in questionnaire development. Special thanks to pharmacy student Tasneem Al-Baghdadi for piloting the questionnaire. We acknowledge students of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, Al-Ahliyya Amman University for participation in data collection.

Additional information

Funding

This work was conducted during sabbatical leave of the corresponding author sponsored by the Deanship of Academic Research, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan. The sponsor did not have any contribution to the study design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation; writing of the article; or submission for publication.