4 medical conditions that may interfere with safe driving

Even though you may never have been in a car accident, you probably know they are relatively common on roadways throughout Missouri. If your vehicle collides with another one, you may sustain a variety of injuries. Unfortunately, if you cannot recover completely, your life may never be the same again.

While car accidents happen for many different reasons, a driver’s medical condition may increase his or her chances of causing a crash. Here are four medical conditions that may interfere with a motorist’s ability to operate a motor vehicle safely:

1. Vision problems

As individuals age, their visual acuity often drops. While many vision problems are fixable with corrective lenses or surgery, not all drivers take necessary steps to preserve their vision. Similarly, a driver may have glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts or other vision conditions that limit his or her ability to see.

2. Diabetes

Diabetics may use insulin or other means to manage their medical condition. Nonetheless, if a driver’s blood glucose drops, he or she may lose consciousness. Obviously, if a person is not alert, controlling an automobile is impossible.

3. Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea causes affected individuals to stop breathing when they are asleep. The condition also makes sleep less restful. If a person has the condition, he or she may fall asleep behind the wheel. This makes driving exceedingly dangerous.

4. Dementia

Dementia, Alzheimer’s and other progressive memory conditions can foster confusion and disorientation. They may also impair a driver’s motor skills. Regrettably, even in their early stages, these conditions often render motorists incapable of driving safely.

Fortunately, with many of these conditions, medications and other medical treatments may help minimize a person’s safety risk. Nonetheless, if you sustain a life-altering injury in a car crash, you likely want to investigate whether the responsible driver’s medical history played a role in the accident.