Summary
- ADHD increases the likelihood of vehicle accidents.
- Adolescents with ADHD are 36% more likely to have accidents.
- Drivers with ADHD are four times more likely to crash.
- ADHD may delay obtaining a driver’s license.
- Teenagers with ADHD often engage in risky driving behaviors.
- Adults with ADHD have higher accident rates and traffic violations.
- Untreated ADHD symptoms can impair driving abilities.
- Bipolar disorder may not affect driving for many, but manic episodes can.
- Anxiety disorders can distract drivers and lead to panic attacks.
- Depression affects focus and increases road fatality risks.
- Stress can lead to reckless driving behaviors.
- Fatigue accounts for approximately 100,000 accidents annually.
- It’s important to practice defensive driving.
- Seek help if involved in an accident.
There’s no doubt that ADHD and similar diagnoses can have a significant impact on a patient’s life in many different ways.
According to research published in JAMA Pediatrics, adolescents who have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are 36% more likely to get into a vehicle accident than other adolescent drivers.
Younger drivers with ADHD
A previous 1993 study said that drivers who had ADHD are 4 times as likely to get into car accidents as those who don’t. Six primary care practices in New Jersey came up with the results of a study, including medical records for 2,500 children with ADHD.
Studies stated that the presence of ADHD among a young driver who may already be struggling with the inexperience and overconfidence in driving abilities could pose a dangerous combination. This study found that children who have ADHD are less likely to get their driver’s licenses in general, but may choose to wait to get it at an older age.
If any adolescent who has a diagnosis of ADHD is struggling to learn how to drive, a driving rehab specialist may be used to decrease the chances of an accident. Teenagers who have higher difficulty focusing, in general, will face bigger risks of a vehicle accident because they tend to be overconfident in their driving ability to begin with.
Adolescents are also more likely to engage in other distracted driving types of behaviors, particularly if they have other passengers in the car or use their cellphone on a regular basis.
Did you know?
Many states have already stipulated various prohibitions on texting and driving and handheld mobile devices, but teens tend to avoid these laws and overestimate their ability to stay focused on the road as well as on the car.
ADHD regarding adult drivers
According to a new study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), adults who experience symptoms from ADHD beyond childhood are more likely to be in a car accident. Over 6 million children in America suffer from ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
The disorder characterizes concentration issues, problems sitting still, and issues with organization. On estimate, the amount of children who continue to carry the disorder into adulthood is roughly 75 percent.
Fortunately, those children grow into adults to live happy and healthy lives, but as an adult with ADHD, driving capability can become daunting because of their attention span and impulses. According to the Center for Children and Adults with ADHD (CHADD), there are medications that people can take to help avoid endangering theirself or some else on the road.
Studies show that drivers with ADHD had more traffic violations, speeding tickets, license suspensions, and reckless driving behaviors. Compared to those without ADHD, adults who suffer from the disorder have twice as much of a chance to have an accident.
Untreated symptoms can be comparable to intoxication, so says CHADD. Drivers with the condition are very easy to distract, and often overestimate their own driving. According to JAMA Psychiatry, 40 to 50 percent of accidents involving male drivers with ADHD are avoidable if an individual has the correct treatment.
Executive function is how a person accounts for short- and long-term consequences based on their actions and to plan for results. Poor judgement, risk-taking, impulsiveness, and thrill-seeking are executive function issues that someone with ADHD may exhume.
With so many distractions, cell phones, music, passengers, the scenery, adults with ADHD can lose focus so easily while on the road. However, ADHD is not the only mental disorder than can affect your driving capability.
There are other mental disorders that can cause distraction from the road, just the same as ADHD.
Bipolar disorder and can it affect your driving
Most drivers that are diagnosed with bipolar disorder can still drive safely. However, many other aspects to affect driving or your focus while driving. Major instances of mania or psychosis, using prescription medicines that hinder motor skills, or having certain other health conditions can all be examples of important facets that can affect your driving fitness.
The results on bipolar disorder and how they relate to driving seem to be mixed, as there is not much research on the topic. Talk to your physician if you are feeling concerned about your ability to drive because of bipolar disorder.
If recently you have received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder and are undergoing treatment, it may be beneficial to take a hiatus from driving as you adjust.
Did you know?
There are studies that found higher accident rates and higher rates of traffic violations in connection with drivers who suffered mental disorders.
Can anxiety disorder affect your driving?
It is possible to experience symptoms while driving if the driver suffers from an anxiety disorder. Making decisions and trying to focus while on the road can be much more difficult for someone, for example, who has generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
Anxiety can cause someone who is driving alone in an unfamiliar place to be in fear of getting lost, running out of gas, breaking down, or having no way to call someone if their phone dies or has no signal. Some drivers may experience a feeling of insecurity while driving at night for the fear of not seeing hazards ahead in the roadway.
Drivers with anxiety can experience many other fears and phobias while on the road. Fear of dying in an accident, claustrophobia in traffic, losing control of the vehicle are all worst-case scenarios that may fill a person’s head, causing major distraction from driving or, at the worst, a panic attack.
If a driver is experiencing any symptoms, they should pull over immediately if they believe they’re having a panic attack. This allows the driver time to get through the panic attack, calm down and get back on the road.
Someone driving with anxiety disorder can experience a sudden, intense feeling of fear, sadness, or anger. As well as a high heart rate, sweating, trembling, nausea, dry mouth, shortness of breath, and even the feeling of lightheadedness or faintness.
Is depression a distraction?
Depression is a mental disorder that can affect even regular day-to-day tasks. Unfortunately, effects major depression can have on an individual carries on into their daily driving.
According to a study by the University of Toronto, suicide causes roughly 8 to 9 percent of road fatalities. However, out of that percentage, the risk of suicide was higher for truck drivers because of their lifestyles.
Truck drivers are often away from their families for quite some time, causing risks of depression by social disconnection.
What about stress or fatigue?
Mental disorders are not the only mental impairment that can cause distraction from driving. Stress can also be a major factor in distracted driving.
Changes of life or major stress can affect your driving capability and cause anxiety towards driving. When a stressed driver gets on the road, they put themselves and other drivers in danger.
Unfortunately, when a driver is under an immense amount of stress, they may be more likely to road rage. Usually, a driver will show hostile or offensive behaviors while on the road, endangering other drivers.
Major distractions like stress and fatigue can cause someone to drive dangerously on the roadway. Fatigued or drowsy drivers account for around 100,000 car accidents every year.
According to the Nation Safety Council (NSC), 71,000 of those accidents result in personal injury. They also reported that 1,550 of those accidents were fatal.
Always remember to practice defensive driving, to ensure you are not involved in a road rage accident. If you suffer an injury because of another driver’s negligence, contact us at Pepper & Odom, so we can get you the help you need and deserve.
More Resources
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