An ill-timed ‘achoo’ can result in a sniffly motorist, driving at 60km/h, closing their eyes for about three car lengths. There are, however, a few precautions you can take to ensure a swift sneeze doesn’t end in disaster.

Firstly, always leave enough room between your vehicle and the one in front to avoid a rear-end crash. If you’re travelling at 60km/h, you should be at least three seconds (about eight car lengths) from the vehicle in front – the faster you’re travelling, the further that distance should be.

Ideally, you’d be able to pull over if you think you might sneeze, but that’s not always possible. Blow your nose before you begin driving to minimise the chance of sneezing while you’re on the road.

Hayfever symptoms – like watery eyes, headaches and drowsiness – could impact your driving performance, so it might be best to consider whether you need to get behind the wheel at all. If you’ve got something more serious, like the flu, you should be at home resting.