Driving is hard enough for someone who is typical but for folks who are challenged with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), they are four times more likely than others to become involved in a motor vehicle crash, to be ticketed for speeding or for running a stop sign. Drivers with ADHD are also more likely to run out of gas according to a 2007 study by the Medical University of South Carolina and University of Virginia Health System. Researchers at the universities concluded that there are some ADHD individuals who can actually become good drivers but certainly not easy or quickly. Then there are those people who suffer from this degree of inattentiveness, who should put off learning how to drive until they are older or just never get behind the wheel of a car at all. How can folks with ADHD stay safe if they choose to drive?
1) Medications that help to keep inattentiveness under control and that focus attention are a major factor for those ADHD sufferers wanting to drive. A driver with ADHD should adhere to their dosing schedules in a timely manner. As the medications taken by ADHD patients waxes and wanes in their system throughout the course of the day, so will their reactions. Driving at night can be challenging period, so if someone with ADHD drives more during this time, speaking to a doctor about a longer-acting or extended-release medications could help boost their performance.
2) Scientists say that listening to music seems to aid focus in some people with ADHD, as it helps to keep them rooted in the present. If someone with ADHD likes to listen to music while driving, before they actually take off, they should select their music, volume, balance and then not fuss with any of it again, until they've pulled over to a safe spot.
3) Signing up for an automatic toll program or E-Z Pass tag is a good idea for someone with ADHD, this way they don't have to scour around for cash in their vehicles to pay the toll booth attendant. Looking for cash means that the person with ADHD would have to take their eyes off the road while vehicles are zipping all around them.
4) A GPS is a godsend for someone with ADHD and one that speaks the directions is best, so that they won't have to look at a display and their eyes can remain on the road.
5) Driver distractions are bad news for anyone but especially for those with ADHD. Drivers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are prone to more distractibility than typical individuals, so speaking on cell phones, eating, texting or drinking beverages while driving, for them, should be totally ruled out.
6) For teens with ADHD, some parents anxious about their child's safety have installed a temporary passenger-side brake which can cost less than repairing a significant dent. And experts say parents may find that a child learns better in a car with a manual transmission, which gives the attention less time to wander.
7) More than most other teenagers, those with ADHD could also benefit from professional instruction like with a driving rehabilitation specialist, who typically works with disabled people such as stroke victims and the aged.
--Car Chick
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