Migraines and car crashes - a complex relationship

Migraines have a complex and multifaceted relationship to car crashes. Firstly, there is a significant body of evidence suggesting that in some cases the impact of a vehicular collision can precipitate the onset of persistent migraines in a previously unaffected person.

Dr Michael Jetnikov, who has had a long career in which he has treated many people with road accident-related injuries and illnesses, has been reported as saying, "I have seen quite a few patients who are adamant that their migraines were caused by a car accident. Whether that might be as a result of post accident stress or the physical trauma of impact or both is open to debate. Although it could be coincidence, in my personal professional opinion, I believe it is a reasonable proposition worthy of serious consideration."

Whatever the scientific evidence relating to road accidents as a catalyst for the development of migraines, it is clear that driving with a migraine, regardless of the acuteness of its symptoms, is ill advised and a very real road hazard.

Even driving in the early stages of a lesser migraine (known as a common migraine) presents significant risks. Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea can all have sudden onsets, meaning sufferers must be ever watchful of early signs when driving in order to protect their safety. In addition, the acute throbbing headache of a common migraine can impair judgement and slow reaction times can negatively affect driving at least as much as excessive consumption of alcohol.

Classical migraine sufferers are prone to even more acute symptoms, all of which are dangerously incompatible with motoring. The appearance of zig zag lines, flashing lights, blind spots, as well as tingling and numbness in the limbs, are just four of the phenomena affecting classical migraine sufferers that, if ignored or not properly monitored, can lead to erratic and unsafe driving.

Even once a migraine has passed (and they can last as long as 24 hours), the sufferer might not be fit to return to the road for several days as the aftermath of a migraine can effect a kind of hangover period in which the sufferer experiences feelings of tiredness and cognitive impairment.

Although the vast majority of people who regularly experience migraines are responsible road users who are knowledgeable enough to spot their symptoms and do the responsible thing by getting off the road, new sufferers may find that confusion about their symptoms can lead them to remain on the road when they should be resting somewhere safe.

Troublingly, it seems the act of driving can actually trigger migraines in a minority of sufferers. A number of internet blogs set up by migraine sufferers as a forum for them to share their stories contain the accounts of people who report experiencing a disproportionately high number of migraines while behind the wheel.

Dr Jetnikov comments again, "It might be driving-related fatigue, the stress of the road or other environmental factors; no two migraine patients are the same and some people seem to have very specific triggers."

Making a claim for car crash compensation
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