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Author Kilian Bäuml
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If you have a fever, it is best to stay at home and not drive.
But what about chronic diseases?
Kassel – The car is a popular means of transport in Germany.
Almost 80 percent of German households own at least one car, reports the
Federal Statistical Office (Destatis)
.
According to the
Federal Motor Transport Authority,
there are over 66 million registered vehicles nationwide.
With so many vehicles, accidents happen again and again.
In January 2023 alone, there were more than 23,000 in Germany.
According to Destatis,
the driver-related reasons for this include
weather-related factors, such as driving on ice and fog.
Speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol are also listed as reasons.
But it's not just alcohol that makes you unfit to drive - someone who is ill can also pose a risk to road traffic.
If you have a fever and are on sick leave, you should rest better, but never get behind the wheel.
But what about chronic diseases and people who are dependent on medication?
+
Certain illnesses can lead to a driving ban.
(icon picture)
© Ole Spata/dpa
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A medical driving ban can be issued for these diseases
If you have an illness, it is particularly important to speak to a doctor about your fitness to drive.
In case of doubt, they can advise against driving and issue driving bans.
According to the MDR,
this medical driving ban can
be issued for the following diseases:
dementia
diabetes
epilepsy
cardiac arrhythmias
cardiac insufficiency
psychoses
However, it depends entirely on how the doctor assesses the driver's fitness to drive.
In the case of epilepsy, for example, attention is paid to how long it has been since the last seizure.
The situation is similar with diabetes.
Depending on the type of illness and the type of treatment, those affected can continue to drive a car despite the illness.
However, if hypoglycaemia occurs frequently, the danger for road traffic increases, so that the fitness to drive should be clarified.
If a driving ban was only issued by a doctor, driving despite a driving ban is not considered a criminal offence, but if an accident is caused, the driver can be held fully liable, writes
bussgeldkatalog.org
.
Doctors also have the opportunity to contact the authorities.
These in turn can issue an official driving ban.
Driving ban for illnesses – medication can also make you unfit to drive
But not only illnesses can become a danger in the car, medication can also affect the ability to drive, reports the
ACAC
.
These include, among others:
allergy medicine
Means for regulating blood pressure
psychotropic drugs
sleep and sedatives
Painkillers
Driving ban is often temporary, rarely permanent
If a person should no longer drive a car, a temporary driving ban is usually imposed first, said Ingrid Dänschel from the German Association of General Practitioners in an interview with the
ADAC
.
A permanent driving ban, on the other hand, is only extremely rarely issued.
"If the average practice has 1,000 patients, maybe two or three are affected where that's an issue, I would guess."
List of rubrics: © Ole Spata/dpa
