WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO DRIVE WITH A GOOD MENTAL HEALTH

Driving is not a regular activity which can be performed by paying little attention, it is a very skilled and complex activity which needs the application of high cortical functions. An individual who is driving a vehicle needs to be able to clearly judge and give quick reactions when it is needed. The inability to do this could cause risks to the person driving, or users of the road.

Mental disorders have the capacity to inhibit good judgement, concentration and also reaction times. Studies have shown that, in road accidents, the percentage of those caused by people with mental illness, is higher than those caused by people who do not have mental illness.

For instance, someone who undergoes bouts of depression from time to time, should be declared unfit for driving, as there is a huge tendency that the person would not be able to make the right decisions. The hands of the person might just be on the wheels, and his eyes faced forward, but his mind might not be there.

Hence, if there is a sudden need to apply the brakes, it would be difficult to do this, as his mind has been carried away. Children and young teenagers are at a high risk on a road containing drivers who are not in their right state of mind. These set of people find it difficult to concentrate properly on the road, and they cannot entirely be blamed for this.

It is essential in a developed country, that before drivers are given their license, there has to be a proof certifying a clean bill of mental health. Until this has been verified, it is advisable not to handover a license to any regular person. Putting this measure in check would ensure that, the number of accidents caused due to mental health illness, would be on the decline.

In addition to this, it would be highly beneficial if there is a check on these drivers from time to time. Mental health illness can develop at any time, and once it has been detected quite early, it makes it easy to manage.