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After a car crash, a car accident claim can help you access the support you need to rebuild your life after serious personal injury. A road accident can leave you with both physical and emotional trauma and a successful compensation claim can be the positive step you need to help you rebuild your life after the crash.
Taking every step to ensure your claim is successful is therefore obviously important. Any doubt over the responsibility of the crash can seriously affect any compensation that you are likely to receive.
While taking a couple of painkillers for a headache before you drive may seem fairly innocuous, research reported in 2010 has shown that motorists killed in accidents were more likely to have been driving dangerously after taking codeine, a morphine-like medicine used in well-known pain relief tablets.
Not only can codeine make drivers sleepy, but it can also affect their ability to react to danger and also makes them more likely to make mistakes. Although Codeine is only available on its own on prescription, it can be found in low doses with paracetamol in products such as Solpadeine, or with ibuprofen in Nurofen Plus which can be bought over the counter at pharmacies.
Around 27 million packets of painkillers containing codeine are sold every year in the UK. In the study carried out by Lakehead University and northern Ontario School of Medicine in Canada, thousands of road deaths from 1975 to 2009 were studied to see if there was a correlation between road deaths and drivers who had taken codeine. Results revealed that 2,100 drivers killed had taken an opiate painkiller such as codeine, morphine or methadone.
The researchers then matched these details to accident reports and found that those with the drugs in their systems were much more likely to have been veering across the road, going too fast, turning dangerously or driving recklessly.
Women on painkillers were up to 42% more likely to have committed an 'unsafe driving action' and men up to 74% more likely. Young and middle-aged drivers were most likely to be affected by the drug which is commonly used for common complaints such as migraine, back ache, tooth ache or period pain.
While it is not illegal to drive having taken the recommended dose of over the counter drugs, drivers should be aware of the possible side effects that pain relief medicines can have. It is always best to read the leaflet that accompanies a medicine carefully to see what the possible side-effects include and ensure that it will not affect your driving and put you at greater risk of a car accident.
If you have been in a car accident that was not your fault, you may be able to claim compensation for any personal injuries that you may have sustained.
Make a car accident claim with YouClaim today
At YouClaim our team of personal injury solicitors can provide you with all the help and advice you need to make a car accident claim.
Thanks to our no win no fee policy, no matter what the outcome of your case, you will never have to pay any costs meaning you have nothing to lose. So why not contact us today to find out more about making a car accident compensation claim, our friendly team of advisers are waiting to hear from you.
