ADHD and Driving: Does Medication Reduce Accidents?

Information That Parents of ADHD Teens Should Have Before Handing Over the Keys

It is a well-known fact that concentration is an important component of safe driving. What does this mean for adolescents and adults who suffer from ADHD, a disorder that affects the sufferer’s ability to concentrate? A recent study performed by the University of Virginia Health Systems has shown a possible link between the occurrence of car accidents and un-medicated ADHD drivers.

Car accidents are one of the biggest killers of adolescents. 46% of females’ and 36% of males’ deaths from this age group are the result of automobile accidents. The study shows that most accidents involving ADHD drivers occur during times when the driver was most likely un-medicated, such as late at night, weekends, and during the summer.

Drivers who need glasses to see road signs wouldn’t drive without them. According to this study, adolescents who suffer from ADHD may be at a disadvantage as well, if they are not taking their medication before driving. Because ADHD causes a person to act spontaneously, suffer from hyperactivity, and creates an inability to focus on one task for a long period of time, teens with this disorder run an even higher risk of becoming a part of the teen accident statistics cited above. Those who suffer from ADHD should take the precaution of medicating before they drive in order to reduce these risks.

While it doesn’t have to be an obvious handicap, having ADHD does mean that a child’s lifestyle will be a little different than his peers’. Medicating before driving, since it is proven to help ADHD drivers safely navigate the roads, is a good habit to start with your teen. Just as you would require your teen to buckle his seatbelt before driving, ensuring your child’s safety on the road by requiring him to take his medication before driving is just another step towards getting your child home safely, which is the goal of every parent who sends a teen off on his own in the family car for an evening.