The driver who committed suicide and a teenage driver had tramadol, codeine and paracetamol in her blood

A woman who flew into the country before crashing and killing a Waikato teenager in an oncoming car had tramadol, codeine and acetaminophen in her blood.

While the levels were consistent with normal use, in a recently released report on the deaths of both drivers, coroner Matthew Bates said the pain medication would have exacerbated their fatigue during the trip.

Around 7.45 a.m. on a fall morning last year, 17-year-old Charlotte-Rose Mary Eliza Ware was driving to school when Sandra Edith Webb, 66, who had rented a car and began a five-hour drive In the wee hours of the morning, he crossed the center line into Charlotte’s car with “disastrous consequences.”

Webb had flown in from Australia earlier that day.

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“The Serious Accident Unit investigated the incident and found that the combination of a very long journey, limited rest and sleep, and the sedative effects of the medications detected in Ms. Webb’s system, indicated that Ms. Webb was probably fatigued before the collision. ” the report said.

Bates said he had received a last one from Ware’s mother, Kim Davis-Ware, which raised the problem of driver fatigue, particularly drivers arriving from abroad.

“Your concerns are valid and the risks associated with fatigued drivers are real,” said Bates.

Davis-Ware had also expressed concern to Things for the death of his daughter “social butterfly”.

Bates said the commonly used pain reliever warnings about the risk of operating vehicles are there “for good reason.”

“Consumption of sedative medications, particularly various types in combination, combined with control of a motor vehicle increases the risk of disastrous consequences,” he said.

“When driver fatigue is combined with the use of sedative medications, the risk of disastrous consequences is amplified, as was tragically demonstrated in the present case.”

Bates said the Transportation Agency has actively sought to educate the public about the potential dangers and has actively tried to counter the “common myth that coffee, fresh air or music helps combat fatigue.”

“Despite this, it appears that drug-related substance impairment remains an underrecognized road safety problem,” Bates said.

He also referenced research that found that shift workers are six times more likely to die in a car accident due to fatigue than the rest of the population.

Additionally, Bates said the analysis found that few short-term visitors who hit New Zealand’s roads do so within the first few days of their arrival.

“Fatigue as a contributing factor to crashes was shown to be at similar levels among overseas licensees and New Zealand drivers.”

Bates said that the wide availability and use of some pain relievers meant that it was “highly unlikely” that package warnings were always heeded, and that “there is no practical way to ensure that consumers are referred to these warnings in the point of purchase, or every time you consume the medication ”.

However, he said he was reassured that the agency is developing professional development modules for doctors to ensure that consumers receive the correct advice and that Parliament is considering changes to the drugged driving regime, which may include drug testing. highway.

“These tests can capture driving under the influence of illicit drugs, as well as prescription drugs, including over-the-counter drugs with sedative effects.”

Bates also warned drivers to watch out for fatigue.

Warning signs including restlessness, frequent blinking, yawning, excessive speed changes, braking too late, drifting from the center line, and drowsiness.