24 July 2001: New research shows that that stopping distances are dramatically increased when drivers are under the influence of most antihistamines.

Normally at 70mph, the thinking distance - the length of road travelled before the brake is even touched - is 69ft. But when taking antihistamines such as promethazine this is increased by up to 11ft, taking the thinking distance to nearly 80ft. It is even further - by 3ft - than when the driver is at the alcohol limit for drink driving. The research was carried out by the Human Psychopharmacology Research Unit.

Now the Drive Against Drowsiness Campaign, sponsored by the British Allergy Foundation (BAF), is warning drivers of the dangers and calling on authorities to include information on the perils of driving after taking everyday medications such as hayfever remediesin in such publications as the Rules of the Road and the British Highway Code.

``The impairment caused by legal drug-driving is a subjective one, so people are simply unaware that their reaction times are affected,'' Muriel Simmons, chief executive of the BAF, says. ``Therefore this is a danger we need to make very clear to drivers."

Figures issued last month showed that there has been a 600% rise in legal drug-driving related accidents in the UK over the past 10 years. FCC