1043-3155 Pediatr Neurol Briefs pedneurbriefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs Pediatric Neurology Briefs Pediatr Neurol Briefs 2166-6482 1043-3155 2166-3155 Pediatric Neurology Briefs Publishers Chicago, IL, USA PNB-7-58 10.15844/pedneurbriefs-7-8-2 Behavior and Attention Deficits Neurology Pediatrics Nervous System Diseases Child Development Brain Diseases Neurosurgery Child Infant ADHD and Driving Risks http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0173-7931 Millichap J. Gordon MD 1 2 * Division of Neurology, Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL Correspondence: Dr. J. Gordon Millichap, E-mail: jgmillichap@northwestern.edu 08 1993 01 07 2016 7 8 58 59 Copyright: © 1993 The Author(s) 1993 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Driving-related risks and outcomes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescents and young adults: A 3- to 5-year follow-up survey

A 3- to 5- year follow-up survey of driving-related risks and outcomes in 35 adolescents and young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 36 control subjects is reported from the Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, MA.

 Driving-Related Risks Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Methylphenidate

A 3- to 5- year follow-up survey of driving-related risks and outcomes in 35 adolescents and young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 36 control subjects is reported from the Departments of Psychiatry, Neurology, and Pediatrics, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Worcester, MA. ADHD subjects had a significantly greater risk than controls for traffic citations, especially for speeding, motor vehicle crashes, automobile injuries, and unsound driving habits. A subgroup of teenagers with ADHD complicated by oppositional defiant and conduct disorders were at highest risk for deviant driving skills/habits and negative driving-related outcomes. Even before receiving a license, the ADHD group was three times more likely to have driven without a valid license than the control group. During their brief driving careers, the ADHD group was involved in a total of 54 crashes compared with 16 for controls, and they were four times as likely to have been at fault. [1]

COMMENT. These results corroborate previous studies showing a correlation between ADHD in adolescents and young adults and an increased rate of motor vehicle crashes, especially in those not treated with stimulant medication [2]. ADHD patients who continued to take stimulant medication as young adults had no more crashes than a control group. Counselling of ADHD patients and their parents regarding risks of driving and increased potential for crashes and injuries is important. The authors suggest that clinicians may wish to consider continued therapy with methylphenidate in adolescents with severe ADHD in the hope of reducing the risk of driving injuries.

 Barkley RA Guevremont DC Anastopoulos AD DuPaul GJ Shelton TL Driving-related risks and outcomes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescents and young adults: A 3- to 5-year follow-up survey Pediatrics 1993 Aug 92 2 212 218 8337019 Weiss G Hechtman LT Hyperactive Children Grown Up 1986 New York, NY Guilford Press