ADHD and car accidents

Published on: December 8, 2023

Video Game Technology Helps Predict Young Driver Car Accident Risks

It is always a nerve wracking moment for any parent when their child receives a driver’s license and begins operating a motor vehicle. A new technology that makes use of a video game to identify teen responses to car accident risks may help parents understand better what kind of driver their child is likely to become.

Research scientists at the Neuroscience of Driving program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Injury Research and Prevention recently designed a virtual driving assessment test that is aimed at understanding teenage behaviors and responses to common auto accident risks and evaluating future driving behaviors based on these.

The new technology is called Already Assess by Diagnostic Driving. It consists of a 15 – minute simulator drive that is designed like a video game. Teenagers are required to follow the simulated course on a large computer screen using headphones, foot pedals and a steering wheel. As the teenager moves through the simulated course, the technology monitors around 100 driving skills that can predict the teen’s risk of a car accident. These skills include the crucial ability to navigate difficult curves and intersections, lane position, control of the vehicle, the proximity of his vehicle to other vehicles, and his or her ability to respond to sudden and emergency hazards. When the teenager completes the course, he is given a personalized report card that clearly outlines his or her responses to various stimuli and the areas of deficiency as well as the areas that she or he can improve on.

Published on: October 27, 2023

Older Adults with ADHD at Higher Car Accident Risk

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Seniors who suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder may have a significantly increased risk of being involved in car accidents.

A new study finds that it is not just teens with ADHD who may be at a higher car accident risk, but also seniors between the age of 65 and 79 who may also have elevated risks as a result of their condition. The study focused on 2,800 seniors between the age of 65 and 79 . Out of these seniors, approximately 2.8% suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, a condition that is categorized by high activity levels, lower attention and concentration levels and other symptoms that make it difficult for the person to concentrate and focus attention for long periods of time.

The researchers found in their analysis that seniors who suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder had a 74% higher risk of being involved in car accidents compared to those who were not diagnosed with ADHD. They were also much more likely to be involved in violations that result in traffic tickets with a 102% higher risk of traffic violations. Seniors with ADHD also had a 7% higher risk of sudden braking incidents, which often lead to auto accidents.

Published on: May 15, 2018

ADHD and Increased Accident Risks

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Once a teenager obtains his or her driver’s license, many a parent has spent many nights worrying about their teen’s safe driving. For parents of teens diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), this can be especially true.

Teenagers are already grappling with controlling their emotions, judgment, concentration and actions, which already places them in a high-risk category for accidents. However, for a teen with ADHD, impulse control and focusing on a task, such as driving, is even more difficult. Many teens with ADHD also struggle with being easily distracted which can make putting such a driver behind the wheel can be that more dangerous.

A new study has found that teenagers who have ADHD have a higher risk of being in a car accident than teenagers without the diagnosis. While teens with ADHD seem to delay getting their license by six months after being eligible, once they do get their license, they have a 36 percent higher risk of being in a car accident as compared to teens without ADHD who have recently obtained their license. These statistics were seen in both male and female teens.

Published on: February 7, 2011

Atlanta’s ADHD Teenage Drivers May Have Higher Risk of Auto Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Atlanta teenagers, who suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, may suffer from concentration difficulties that increase their risk of an auto accident. Greg Fabiano at the University of Buffalo is studying ADHD among teen drivers. The study focused on two separate groups of drivers with learning permits. The first group was given additional driver’s education that included 3.5 hours in a simulator and the use of a monitoring device in the car that recorded driving behavior. The second group of teen drivers was given the additional training, the monitoring device in the car, as well as a signed contract with their parents that rewarded good driving behavior and punished undesirable driving practices.

The study is a work in progress, and final results will not be available for many years. However, preliminary findings seem to indicate that teenagers, who suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, have difficulties in concentration that could cause them to be distracted, and increase the risks of an auto accident. Besides, these risks are amplified manifold if these ADHD teens also text or use cell phone calls while driving.

Surprisingly to Atlanta car accident lawyers, the study also finds that teenagers actually like having an in-car monitoring device, because they can show their parents that they are driving safely.