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What happens if I sneeze while driving?
I’ve got a pretty severe cold that’s making me sneeze violently every few minutes. I’m supposed to return to work tomorrow, but I’m not sure driving is a good idea. What happens if I sneeze while driving?
Macy Fouse · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Colds are the worst! Sneezing is one of those bodily functions you can’t exactly control, which can make it a bit nerve-wracking to drive when you’re sick. Believe it or not, sudden sneezes while driving can actually cause deadly accidents.
A few sneeze-related circumstances can lead to a loss of control of your vehicle:
- Experiencing several intense sneezes in a row, causing your eyes to be closed for too long
- Instinctively “catching” your sneeze and taking your hands off the wheel
- Taking cold or flu medicine that causes drowsiness
- Reaching to find a tissue and taking your eyes off the road
A
British study
once found that driving ability dropped an estimated 50% when drivers were sick with a cold. That doesn’t paint a very pretty picture, especially paired with the fact that your vehicle travels 50 feet when you close your eyes during a sneeze. In fact, if you cause an accident while you’re sneezing, you may be ticketed for distracted driving.In order to keep yourself—and other drivers—safe, it’s best to avoid driving while sick. If you’re not sick but feel a sneeze coming on, try to pull over on the side of the road.
To make sure you’re protected on the road, you’ll want to make sure you have full
car insurance
coverage. By using licensed insurance broker app Jerry
, you can easily find comprehensive coverage that won’t break the bank. With Jerry, you can save money and time, because Jerry takes only a minute to gather quotes from more than 50 insurance companies.View full answer
- Gregory R.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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