Expert says ADD and Driving: A Dangerous Combination

Parent Cafe
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<p>CNN-Getting a driver’s license is a rite of passage for many teenagers, but the process was a bit more challenging for 19-year-old Mulligan of Acworth, Georgia. She has attention deficit disorder.</p>

<p>When she gets behind the wheel, she said, “Sometimes my mind wanders off.”</p>

<p>She’s not alone. Researchers reported driving can be a serious problem for teens with ADD and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Motor vehicle accidents already are the leading cause of death among teenagers in the U.S… Experts such as Russell Barkley say ADD and ADHD compound the problem.</p>

<p>Barkley, a psychiatry professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, is a widely recognized expert on ADD and driving…</p>

<p>Teen drivers with ADD or ADHD “are impulsive, highly distractible and clumsy, can’t pay attention to the roadway and they get bored easily,” he said…</p>

<p>Barkley sees speeding as a key problem. “In general, people with ADHD speed four times more often than those without ADHD,” he said.</p>

<p>His research shows that those with ADD or ADHD are two to three times more likely to have an auto accident, three times more likely in the first five to eight years of driving to have their licenses revoked and five times more likely to get a parking ticket.
[Teen</a> drivers with ADD a problem on the road - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/09/15/hm.driving.add/index.html]Teen”>Teen drivers with ADD a problem on the road - CNN.com)</p>

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<p>Me: “You’re over the speed limit. Why are you driving so fast?”
D: “Because the car in back of me keeps getting closer.”</p>

<p>and</p>

<p>Me: “Look out for those people walking on the side of the road.”
D: “But, mom, I don’t want to hit the parked car on the other side of the road.”</p>

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<p>It is a problem. My last two did not get licenses for that reason in part. I will tell you, however, that most of my friends with boys have had accidents, tickets and insurance increases.</p>

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<p>S’s doctor cited driving as the reason he wanted S to take his ADD meds 7 days a week and not just school days.</p>

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<p>There was a good reason why insurance companies discriminated against young males over females.</p>

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<p>What about adults with ADD? Shouldn’t we also be concerned about them? There are plenty of undiagnosed adults!!!</p>

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<p>My niece has ADD and hit 2 parked cars in her first year of driving.</p>

<p>My daughter asked me a few years ago if I had ever been in the car when her cousin was driving. She said she speeds something awful! </p>

<p>However, while I doubt she is that great a driver, she has settled down and so far hasn’t had a driving mishap in about 3 years now.</p>

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<p>Yep. ADD adults have issues too. But from what I hear, a lot of ADD does subside at adulthood. I worked for a guy who told me he was terribly ADHD as a kid and all through highschool which really made life miserable for him, his parents, his teachers, anyone around him. After puberty, things subsided a lot. He did not go to college until his mid 20’s but then got into law school, did well and is successful. No ADD any more. But his kids, wow! He says that the treatments make such a difference. He missed out a lot during his childhood because of the affliction.</p>

<p>He is, however, still a crazy driver!</p>

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<p>I am familiar with two young men with ADD (although mild) who have never had an accident or even a speeding ticket. Knock wood!</p>

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<p>ADHD can be a benefit in driving as you take everything in. It’s a problem when you focus too much on the wrong things.</p>

<p>I would guess that insurance companies would charge higher premiums, if they could, for those with ADHD.</p>

<p>I didn’t know that Barkley moved out of the Worcester area. I read his books a long time ago when he was in the area.</p>

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<p>There are teenagers who may be ready to learn to drive because their state says it’s legal and others who have no business getting behind the wheel of a car for several more years. One size does not fit all. It should be up to the parents to decide if their child is really ready - and be willing to take a few steps back, delaying the permit or the license, scope of driving privileges etc. I wish there was even more public awareness here - just as not every toddler is ready to take that first step at the same exact age, it’s the same with driving. </p>

<p>My understanding about adult ADD/ADHD (I have an adult friend who has been diagnosed with this, and know others who probably should be) , is that it’s a life long thing. The motor hyperactivity (which is what is so immediately obvious in children) diminishes, but impulsivity and distractibility generally remain. What happens is that adults learn to compensate - but it’s not outgrown, per se.</p>

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<p>I’ve heard that if you are a teen and your doctor has prescribed you medication for ADD, you should NEVER drive without it.</p>

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<p>I have ADD, and I really was an awful driver. I would get lost in my thoughts, then realize I was going 80+ mph. I wouldn’t see things I should be aware of. A lot of times, it wasn’t even a direct influence on my driving–it was about decision-making. I would never drive drunk, but I did decide to try and go to work in a 15 year old car with shot brakes during a snowstorm. I was going slow so when the brakes gave out I just slid over to the side of the road and lightly tapped a tree, but one of the branches punctured the radiator. Bye bye, car.</p>

<p>So I guess what I’m saying is, it is possible for kids with ADD to be good drivers. For the most part, though, we need extra training, meds, or a shiny new bus pass (the preferable option).</p>

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<p>It is really scary.
I think I am a very good driver in town.
However, long car trips- are bad. I absolutely hate driving long distances on freeways & have to make lots of stops because it is more exhausting than it should be.
Roads with no distractions are worse, in the winter, when driving on the road in eastern wa., with little other traffic and snow covering everything, I can be driving along for 10/20 minutes and then realize that I haven’t been paying attention at all. It is hypnotic.</p>

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<p>Barkley has been talking about this for a very long time. Hopefully soon more people will listen. Heres a scary thing… pilots with attentional issues can get their pilots license and fly, but they can’t take psychostimulants when flying . That is, they cant take their Ritalin, Concerta or what have you, when flying. Does that make ANY sense???</p>

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<p>Hmmm…like maybe that train conductor in California??</p>

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<p>^^^ I thought I heard on the news that they thought the train conductor was texting someone on his phone and was distracted, missing the red light/signal. They also talked (on the news) about gizmos that are used in some parts of the country that are placed in the train tracks, and if it detects 2 trains on the same track it overrides the conductor and applies the brakes. This area obviously didnt have it. Claimed it cost too much…</p>

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<p>I was diagnosed recently with ADD (have thought for several years that I have it). I have never been hyperactive; in fact, I am very much toward the calm side of the spectrum. The medication made a huge difference in many ways, some of them unexpected. One thing that was really striking was that driving was a very different experience. It became much easier, because somehow I could integrate all the information (positions of other cars, etc.) easily. Driving went from being an exhausting chore to a relatively effortless activity.</p>

<p>I have always been a very good, cautious, driver - no speeding. But I think I am a safer driver on the meds.</p>

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<p>My son has ADD and rarely takes his meds. His first 6 months having a license he had 2 accidents. Both single car and from taking corners to quickly. Insurance went way up and son spent the next year walking and skateboarding. This summer he was able to make some money to pay his insurance. He is older and more mature. A more careful driver. He made it through the 4 months home with no tickets and no fender benders. I still think he drives faster then I would like. He has on his own decided that he does not want a car at college. He realizes he would not handle it well.</p>

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<p>My ADD child was the best driver of the three. Has never had an accident or a ticket. Maybe because he tries to hard at it. He’s really good at video games too, which may be related. </p>

<p>I don’t think we can generalize.</p>