Introduction
ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition that impacts a lot of individuals and their daily lives. Over the years, the medical recognition and understanding of the disorder have improved, allowing more people to be diagnosed or receive treatment. People with ADHD often find themselves having trouble concentrating on a specific task, or paying attention to something for long periods of time. Alternatively, such individuals are often predisposed towards impulsive behaviors or not thinking their actions through to the full extent. ADHD can impede the life of a person to a large extent, depending on its severity and the specific symptoms that manifest. Subsequently, the effects of the condition of activities involving a significant amount of concentration, coordination, decision-making, and focus are important to discuss. For this project, I want to focus on the impact of ADHD on driving, with a specific emphasis on teenage drivers. This topic presents a personal interest to me; therefore, I want to study the available information to understand the issue further, as well as its implications for me and my community.
The Problem and its Significance
Why Is the Issue Significant?
In the United States, driving is the primary way to get around the city and the countryside alike, and a necessary skill for most individuals to master. With the transportation infrastructure being built to heavily favor the automobile, people start to learn the proper way to handle a vehicle from their early teen years. Driving represents both a convenience and a heavy responsibility, however. Operating a car requires the understanding of proper rules, and the ability to react to any situation appropriately. A failure to do so or a lack of care on the road often brings severe consequences, sometimes even to a fatal degree. That is why any condition that might impact the way the person can handle themselves on the road is necessary to examine, especially if a large portion of the population suffers from it. Teenagers are most often just starting to adjust themselves to handling cards, lacking the experience and preparedness older drivers may have. A teenager with ADHD, then, has a lot more to deal with in regards to operating a car. To ensure the safety of drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, it is necessary to fully understand the impact ADHD can make on teen drivers and their ability to safely use the road.
How Is the Issue Relevant to Myself or the Community?
The issue is both relevant and significant to me because I have been diagnosed with ADHD. Managing the tasks I have in my daily life often becomes more difficult than it is for people without this condition. Similarly, I want to be more informed on the ways this disorder affects my decision-making process, reaction, and focus on the road. For the safety of myself, and the people in my community, I want to increase my pool of knowledge on the topic.
Impact of Scholarly Research
Throughout the research for this paper, I have learned that there is a large pool of data on the relationship between teenage driving and ADHD. Firstly, I have read a study on the connection between ADHD and accidents in people’s lives. As shown by examinations of previous studies, most people with the disorder get into accidents more often than regular individuals. Additionally, the prominence of incidents for adolescents seems to peak at around 18 to 25 years (Brunkhorst-Kanaan et al., 2021). This source proves that teens with ADHD face a significantly higher risk of being in danger than older people. The other studies I examined discussed the driving behaviors of people with ADHD, their risk of crashes and accidents, and other factors connected with careless driving. Firstly, research has shown that such teenagers are likely to overestimate their abilities, and think of their driving competencies as higher than they actually are (Fabiano et al., 2015). The authors of the paper note the need to initiate preventative measures towards helping people with ADHD drive more safely.
Another study examined the driving behaviors of people with and without ADHD using a simulation. It was surmised that the driving habits of people medicated for ADHD were largely similar to those without the disorder, while the un-medicated has faced problems concerning impulsivity and inattention (Barragan & Lee, 2018). Experts say that the type of medication and its timing is extremely important for this consideration, and drivers with ADHD should use stimulant medication to help them concentrate (Aduen et al., 2019). Interestingly, the effects of ADHD on driving behaviors often vary by gender as well, with males more often having trouble with the hyperactivity part of the disorder, while females suffer more from the lack of attention (Timmermans et al., 2020). Despite a large pool of evidence and discussion surrounding the topic, sources seem mixed on the effectiveness of the medication, and its role in reducing the number of crashes ADHD-having teenagers get into. While some of the aforementioned articles emphasize and discuss the need for ADHD medication to be used, others, like Winterstein et al., (2020) note medication to not be a significant contributor towards a lesser amount of severe outcomes.
Personal Assumptions
Before and during my investigation, I have viewed this subject through the lens of a person with ADHD. The condition has significantly impacted the way I live my life, and the way I approach certain tasks. I know how much of a challenge concentrating on a specific thing can be, and therefore I completely understand that ADHD may have a negative impact on a teenager’s driving ability. Without checking up on the sources, I have already assumed that people with my disorder get into accidents more frequently and often injure themselves in car accidents. Thinking that the lack of experience might be a contributing factor, I have also assumed that younger people with ADHD might suffer the most from this. Since I have already had a specific view on the issue, I have tried to find articles that either confirmed or denied the assumptions I held. Most of them, fortunately, turned out to be in support of my initial ideas on the subject. I think the fact that I have previously done research into this disorder, and lived with it for a significant amount of time has helped me to quickly “get into” the problem.
My Interaction with the Sources
For the most part, the sources helped me to organize my ideas in a coherent, structural, and linear fashion. While I have had many ideas about the conclusions the papers will reach, some of them still surprised me, and gave me an opportunity for critical examination. Without reading research, I could not have found out that people with ADHD aged 18-25 have the largest probability of getting into an accident, or that the likelihood of being in danger changes with age. Similarly, sex-related differences in the way ADHD manifests during driving would never have crossed my mind.
It was especially interesting seeing the results and effectiveness of medication as well, as I personally know how much it can change the way you act. The disparity of views on the subject of medication has additionally helped me to be fairer. I think I could not do the subject proper justice without having taken a look at the various opinions of the scientific community, and the disparity between conclusions different authors reached. While the existence of opposing views has not given me the opportunity to bring my paper to a neat and complete conclusion, it gave me a topic to think about instead.
Conclusion
In conclusion, ADHD is a condition that influences many aspects of a person’s daily life, including their ability to successfully operate a vehicle. Young adults only recently becoming familiar with the car often have a hard time driving safely, which is further exacerbated by the effects of the disorder. The increased potential of abnormal driving behavior presents a danger to oneself and their community, becoming a contributing factor towards driving accidents and injuries.
As a person with ADHD, I find this topic to be important for prolonged discussions, and a major part of my own worries in life. I want to ensure that I can guarantee the safety of myself and others, and for that reason, I have engaged relevant scientific sources on the subject. The overwhelming body of evidence agrees that ADHD has certain negative effects on the driving habits of individuals, which differ by sex. Tests have shown that those living with the disorder are more likely to face trouble regarding paying attention to the road, or driving in a safe manner.
However, it has also been shown that medication might be an important facet towards remedying this problem. A number of researchers propose taking medication to minimize the symptoms of ADHD and improve the control a person experiences over their decision-making skills and attention. Other sources indicate that the discussion on the full effectiveness of such a solution is currently being questioned, but it has nevertheless been shown effective in preventing milder accidents and unwanted driving behaviors.
On a more personal level, the research has helped me to improve my ability to use critical thinking when analyzing text and applying its information in the relevant field. I learned to look for relevant information and challenge my view of an issue in pursue of a more truthful perspective. By having to find the information myself, verify its integrity, and then incorporate it into an existing structure of information, I have come to develop some of the key skills relevant in writing research papers or serious data analysis such as the ability to select and evaluate information, and draw conclusion. Additionally, I have improved my ability to be mindful of new information, using specific evidence to draw larger parallels and discuss the subject of ADHD in teens through a more complete perspective. The elements of reason have not enabled me to come to creative conclusions, however, they allowed me to examine the existing results with more nuance and thought. It is critical to note that some questions still remain, however. The primary one of such concerns is in the reduction of accidents, as well as the effectiveness of specific medical treatments. Most of the uncertainty will be answered with more research and discussion around the topic.
References
Aduen, P. A., Cox, D. J., Fabiano, G. A., Garner, A. A. & Kofler, M. J. (2019). Expert recommendations for improving driving safety for teens and adult drivers with ADHD. The ADHD Report, 27(4), 8–14. Web.
Barragan, D., & Lee, Y.-C. (2018). Pre-crash driving behaviour of individuals with and without ADHD. Web.
Brunkhorst-Kanaan, N., Libutzki, B., Reif, A., Larsson, H., McNeill, R. V. & Kittel-Schneider, S. (2021). ADHD and accidents over the life span – a systematic review. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 125, 582–591. Web.
Fabiano, G. A., Schatz, N. K., Hulme, K. F., Morris, K. L., Vujnovic, R. K., Willoughby, M. T., Hennessy, D., Lewis, K. E., Owens, J. & Pelham, W. E. (2015). Positive bias in teenage drivers with ADHD within a simulated driving task. Journal of Attention Disorders, 22(12), 1150–1157. Web.
Timmermans, C., Alhajyaseen, W., Soliman, A., Brijs, T., Bedair, K. & Ross, V. (2020). Effect of ADHD traits in young drivers on self-reported deviant driving behaviours: An exploratory study in the Arab Gulf Region. Journal of Transport & Health, 17, 100857. Web.
Winterstein, A. G., Li, Y., Gerhard, T., Linden, S. & Shuster, J. J. (2020). Medication use for ADHD and the risk of driving citations and crashes among teenage drivers: A population-based Cohort Study. Journal of Attention Disorders, 25(11), 1511–1518. Web.