Drugged driving can occur from the use of legal or illegal substances. In the case of legal drugs a person may ingest over-the-counter medication or prescriptive medicine that has an adverse effect on their ability to control a motor vehicle and lead to an automobile accident.
Over-the-counter drug companies will include a warning on their label and again in the directions informing users of the possibility of any side-effects that may or may not affect driving. For instance, many 24 hour multi-symptom relief medicines warn users that they may experience drowsiness and this could have an effect on a number of normal activities.
People who are prescribed medicine by a physician and obtain the medicine from a pharmacy will likely experience two levels of warnings about adverse effects of the prescription.
First, when the doctor makes a diagnosis and hands the patient a prescription he or she will explain any side-effects that may occur while taking the medicine. Then when the prescription is filled the pharmacist will go over dosage instructions and again explain restrictions that may need to be taken while on the medication. Many Houston car accidents fall in this category.
The 'other' type of drugged driving occurs when an individual attempts to drive after taking an illegal substance. This could be anything from marijuana to meth and coke to heroin. All are banned (except in the case of medical marijuana) and all can negatively impact a person's driving ability.
It is safe to say that if you take a drug of any kind - it is better to err on the side of caution. If you need to get somewhere take a cab or get a ride an always be careful who you ride with.
