Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder tied to crash risks

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder tied to crash risks
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Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may wait longer than other teens to obtain a driver\'s license and they may be at higher risk for accidents once they do start driving.

Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) may wait longer than other teens to obtain a driver's license and they may be at higher risk for accidents once they do start driving.

"It's commonly reported that new drivers with ADHD have a four-fold increased risk of getting into crashes than the general population of young drivers," said senior author Thomas Power, of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

About 43 percent of young people with ADHD were in a crash, compared to about 36 percent of those without ADHD. The increased crash risk among young drivers with ADHD did not vary by gender or by age when they passed the driving test.

For the new study, researchers analyzed medical records of 18,344 young residents of New Jersey born between 1987 and 1997, including 2,479 with ADHD. Their medical records were linked with data spanning 2004 through 2014 on licensing and motor vehicle crashes in New Jersey.

Compared to young people without ADHD, those with ADHD were 35 percent less likely to obtain a driver's license within six months of becoming eligible for it. This was true for both boys and girls.

Zheng Chang, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, whose research team recently reported on the benefits of treating ADHD in adult drivers, said, "It is important for parents and teens to keep in mind that ADHD may persist into adolescence and adulthood," with an associated risk of motor vehicle crashes.

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