Allergies seem to be on the increase. At best they are a discomfort but couple them with driving a car and they can be very dangerous. A recent Irish Independent article has highlighted this problem and given some advice on how best to cope.

We all suffer from the symptoms of allergies from time to time such as streaming eyes, sneezing, possibly even dizziness. Worse still with an allergy it can be triggered very suddenly meaning you can get a fit of sneezing while driving at 120kph.

There are two simple things that a driver should always ensure and that everyone involved in vehicle service and repair should always recommend. Firstly, if a vehicle has an air conditioning system this needs to be serviced and well maintained. A poorly performing system means the air quality in the car will also be poor and may often contain contaminates and bacteria that can trigger allergy symptoms.

The second crucial thing to do is even more basic. Always make sure the vehicle cabin filters is changed at every service. Blocked filters provide little protection meaning an allergy sufferer is breathing in pollen, dust and other particles. 

The Independent also looks at the possible dangers of anti allergy medication on driving. The National Programme Office of the Director of Traffic Medicine is a joint venture between the Road Safety Authority and the Royal College of Surgeons. It issues some simple guidance on driving while taking medication such as antihistamines. Firstly, it recommends that you should always read the information supplied with the medication and secondly to adopt a common sense approach and not take any risks. If you feel a particular medicine is making you drowsy or reducing alertness then do not drive until the effects are passed.  

The most recent major European study of medications and driving found no evidence of increased crash risk with antihistamines. In fact it found they could actually reduce risk because of increased vigilance about side-effects. However, it should be noted that different antihistamines have different side effects, so take nothing for granted.

The issues of allergies used to be confined to a few high pollen count months, but increasingly allergies have now become a year round issue to more and more people. This in turn means that cabin or pollen filters should not only be thought of in spring and summer and air conditioning service opportunities should be considered a twelve month a year business.