Impact of Psychotropic Drugs on Driving.

The dangers of alcohol and drugs are well documented while driving. However, the impact of the use of psychotropic medications on driving is still not provide to the publics and/or Prevention Specialists. The use of psychotropic medications can alter levels of alertness and cause road accidents. Based on the latest official statistics of accidents in France, a question arises: can we consider a link between the consumption of psychotropic drugs and the number of road accidents? This article provides a brief state of the art on the effects of psychotropic drugs on alertness. In the first part, some definitions are provided for clarification. This article offers several perspectives on psychotropic medications and driving, as well as some examples of experimental researches. Based on scientific experimentations, epidemiology studies, and accident data, this article specifies the conditions under which consumption may be dangerous and offers to employers, employees and health services, appropriate preventive measures.