A number of cognitive conditions can affect driving, but the largest group of challenged teenage drivers — and the mostly closely studied — appears to be those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. A 2007 study by Russell A. Barkley of the Medical University of South Carolina and Daniel J. Cox of the University of Virginia Health System, concluded that young drivers with A.D.H.D. are two to four times as likely as those without the condition to have an accident — meaning that they are at a higher risk of wrecking the car than an adult who is legally drunk.
Researchers say that many teenagers with attention or other learning problems can become good drivers, but not easily or quickly, and that some will be better off not driving till they are older — or not at all.
The most obvious difficulty they face is inattention, the single leading cause of crashes among all drivers. “When a driver takes his eyes off the road for two seconds or more, he’s doubled the risk of a crash,” said Bruce Simons-Morton, senior investigator at the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Md.
Inexperienced drivers usually are distractible drivers. In a study on a closed course, teenagers proved much more adept than adults at using cellphones while driving, bujt missed more stop signs.
But A.D.H.D. involves more than distractibility. Its other major trait is impulsiveness, which is often linked to high levels of risk-taking. Teenagers are more prone to crashes because of inattention, but “the reason their crashes are so much worse is because they are so often speeding,” said Dr. Barkley. Many drivers with A.D.H.D. overestimate their skills behind the wheel.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/health/add-and-adhd-challenge-those-seeking-drivers-license.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
Researchers say that many teenagers with attention or other learning problems can become good drivers, but not easily or quickly, and that some will be better off not driving till they are older — or not at all.
The most obvious difficulty they face is inattention, the single leading cause of crashes among all drivers. “When a driver takes his eyes off the road for two seconds or more, he’s doubled the risk of a crash,” said Bruce Simons-Morton, senior investigator at the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development in Bethesda, Md.
Inexperienced drivers usually are distractible drivers. In a study on a closed course, teenagers proved much more adept than adults at using cellphones while driving, bujt missed more stop signs.
But A.D.H.D. involves more than distractibility. Its other major trait is impulsiveness, which is often linked to high levels of risk-taking. Teenagers are more prone to crashes because of inattention, but “the reason their crashes are so much worse is because they are so often speeding,” said Dr. Barkley. Many drivers with A.D.H.D. overestimate their skills behind the wheel.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/27/health/add-and-adhd-challenge-those-seeking-drivers-license.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
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