Which of these statements is true about drugs and driving?
- Any prescription drug is safe to use if you don't feel drowsy.
- Even over-the-counter drugs can impair your driving. ✓
- Only illegal drugs can impair your driving.
Answer: B. Even over-the-counter drugs can impair your driving.
Even over-the-counter drugs can impair your driving.
Why this is the answer
California's DUI law covers any drug that affects your ability to drive safely, not just illegal drugs. The handbook says the law does not treat illegal drugs differently from medications you get from a doctor or pharmacy. It specifically includes prescriptions and over-the-counter medications among drugs that can affect your driving and your reactions to what you see and hear. That is why not feeling drowsy does not make a medicine safe for driving; you are expected to read labels and know the effects of any drug you use.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Any prescription drug is safe to use if you don't feel drowsy. — A prescription drug is not automatically safe just because you do not feel drowsy; the handbook says any drug that affects your ability to drive, including prescriptions, can make driving illegal.
- C. Only illegal drugs can impair your driving. — The handbook says the law does not distinguish illegal drugs from doctor-prescribed or pharmacy medications, so legal medicines can impair driving too.
Remember it
Read the label and know how a drug affects you before driving; buying it at a pharmacy does not make it harmless.