Labeling of medicines incompatible with driving (initiative of the Automobile Union)

The National Automobile Union (NAS) has proposed labeling medicines that are prohibited from driving after consumption. 

The initiators of the appeal explained that at the moment, the State Duma of the Russian Federation is considering a bill that will punish drivers who got behind the wheel while intoxicated due to taking certain medications. For such a violation, there is an impressive fine of 45 thousand rubles and a long–term deprivation of a driver's license - from one and a half to two years. 

According to the union, the problem lies in the fact that such changes in legislation are monitored by a negligible proportion of drivers, while the rest of the drivers remain ignorant. And it will not be possible to solve this problem with the help of reservations in the instructions, the authors of the appeal believe, since practice shows that most drivers are not familiar with the full text of the instructions.

Another problem that may arise when adopting the above-mentioned legislative draft is that the punishment will be applicable only if there are clinical signs of intoxication caused by taking medications. But some drugs (for example, antihistamines, antiepileptic drugs) can, on the contrary, improve the driver's condition, the letter says. 

In connection with the above, before the adoption of the law, NAS proposes: 

• clearly identify the signs of intoxication that the traffic police inspector should record;

• determine the unacceptable dosage of medications; 

• determine the time during which you cannot drive after taking medications.

 

Based on this, it is necessary to conduct large-scale clinical trials aimed at assessing the effect of drugs on driving abilities, the authors of the initiative believe. 

It is worth noting that this is not the first initiative on this issue. Deputies have repeatedly proposed labeling a number of drugs that may affect the ability to drive a vehicle. This initiative was supported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in 2022, but the Constitutional Court rejected this amendment due to the fact that the criteria for determining "drug intoxication" for drivers were not defined. 

Bills have also been submitted to the State Duma to punish drivers for taking drugs that are not narcotic, but impair attentiveness and reaction. 

The Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation has also compiled a list of medicines (2) that are not recommended or prohibited for drivers. It includes medicines containing ethyl alcohol, sedatives and psychotropic drugs, as well as drugs of other pharmacological groups. This list is for informational purposes only.