Sneezing can be a cause of motor vehicle accidents

North Carolina motor vehicle accidents have a myriad of causes. These range from impaired drivers and mechanical failures to lesser-known causes like sneezing. The stark reality is that sneezing while driving can be dangerous and can result in a motor vehicle accident.

Incidence of motor vehicle accidents resulting from sneezing

A study undertaken by the manufacturers of Olbas Max Strength, a cold and flu medication, considered the impact sneezing has on driving. The study reported 2 million cases of drivers who found themselves involved in motor vehicle accidents because they sneezed.

As part of the referenced study, adult drivers were polled. A third of those women and men reported that they considered sneezing to be the worst time to sneeze. Seven percent of those polled indicated that they had been involved in a car accident because they sneezed.

Public safety officials and sneezing

In part because of the dangers of sneezing behind the wheel, public safety officials have taken a position that individuals suffering from the flu, cold or any other condition that causes sneezing should not drive. They take this a step further and advise that if a person isn’t laboring under something like the flu but feels a sneeze coming on, he or she should pull to the side of the road and stop driving.

Mechanics of sneezing

Sneezing is considered a violent occurrence. A sneeze forces a person’s eyes to close. A situation which causes a person to completely lose visual contact with the roadway and surrounding motorists is highly dangerous and greatly enhances the prospect for motor vehicle accidents.