How ADHD Affects Driving Skills: What To Know

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2 days ago

For people who are easily distracted, driving can feel like a stressful endeavor. From stoplights to traffic jams to honking horns, there's lots to consider when buckling your seat belt and hitting the gas.
But while distracted driving is a danger for absolutely everyone, people with ADHD may have more to contend with when it comes to operating a vehicle.
Research says that people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are more likely to get in a car crash that's their fault — and to get traffic tickets.
There are a number of reasons this happens, and a lot of it has to do with the sheer number of distractions that can occur while driving. But experts say this research shouldn't discourage folks with ADHD, particularly those who manage their diagnosis well.
Below, experts share what you should know about this research and what drivers who have trouble focusing should do to stay safe on the road.
People with ADHD are at a higher risk of car accidents because of increased distractions.
'If you do a research study where you look at 1,000 people with ADHD, and you compare them to 1,000 people who are perfectly matched in every way except they don't have the ADHD diagnosis and then you follow them, and you look at the rate of car accidents, you'll see that the rate of car accidents, most likely, is increased in the people with ADHD in that group of 1,000 people a little bit,' said Dr. Will Cronenwett, the vice chair for clinical affairs in the department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University in Illinois.
Research in teenagers found that those with ADHD had a 9% higher chance of getting into a car accident that was their fault. Inattentive behavior was the top reason for accidents, while another reason was driving at an unsafe speed.
Why might this be? According to Jackie Morrison, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Minnesota, the ADHD brain filters information in a different manner than a neurotypical brain.
ADHD is known to cause trouble focusing and inattention in folks with the disorder, which can, of course, also lead to trouble on the road.
'There is, in a lot of cases, a truly different amount of information that is coming in. And your brain isn't filtering out as many distractions,' explained Morrison.
'And so things that an ADHD brain is picking up on might be significantly more than a neurotypical brain, and so there are literally more distractions sometimes for an ADHD brain,' she said.
With an ADHD brain, you need more stimulation and engagement to get your brain in the 'task-positive network,' said Morrison.
'The task-positive network is the grouping of your brain systems that turn on and activate when you're engaged in a task and helps you focus,' she added. If there isn't enough stimulation, which can happen when you're driving, your brain isn't going to go in this network.
Both experts stressed that these research findings don't mean that individual ADHD drivers are any worse than other drivers on the road.
'You can say on a population level that ... having a disorder that impairs your attention does increase the risk for driving accidents in that population, but you can't say anything about a particular individual,' Cronenwett noted.
Meaning, someone with an ADHD diagnosis who manages their ADHD properly can be a safer driver than someone without ADHD.
'I would caution against people looking at the ADHD label as either a flag for 'now I'm at risk' versus not at risk,' he added.
'Because people with ADHD can be very well-treated, and their symptoms can be under control, and they can be quite safe,' explained Cronenwett.
Distracted driving, in general, can lead to traffic incidents.
Just because someone doesn't have ADHD doesn't mean they're a safe driver by default. There are plenty of other distractions — cellphones, other passengers, day-to-day stress, exhaustion, and more — that can put anyone at a higher risk of an accident.
For example, 'people won't be able to pay as good attention to the road when they are fatigued,' said Cronenwett. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 633 car crashes happened as a result of drowsy driving in 2023.
'So, I wouldn't want people to just look at the [ADHD] diagnosis as if that determines whether they are at risk at any particular given moment,' noted Cronenwett.
Instead of focusing on your diagnosis before you start driving, focus on how you feel.
Before getting in your car, take note of how you're feeling.
Are you tired? Are you distracted because of an argument with your partner? This way, you can decide if you have the faculties to safely operate your car. And this is true for anyone — not just those with ADHD, said Cronenwett.
'Any number of things influence somebody's risk more than just the strict presence or absence of a label,' he said.
If you don't feel focused enough to drive, don't do it.
'I think we can all agree that distracted drivers, or inattentive drivers, are at risk for having car crashes, and they should certainly be very, very careful in their own driving habits,' said Cronenwett.
Once again, people can be distracted because they're tired, because of stressful social situations or even from depression and anxiety, he added.
'So, any type of inattentive or distracted driving puts somebody at risk,' he said.
If you don't have an ADHD diagnosis and want one, Morrison said it could be a good idea to find a doctor or therapist in the field who has an understanding of ADHD and can help you learn more about how your brain works so you can efficiently and safely move through the world.
For people who can't get diagnosed because of a lack of insurance coverage, long appointment wait times or for whatever reason, Morrison recommends mindfulness as a way to combat distractions.
'Be aware of your body in space and your breath for a few minutes at a time, and let thoughts move in and out ... you're just experiencing what it's like to be in your body at that moment in time. [It] can be really helpful because it gives your brain a chance to run around off its leash, if you will, and it also gives you practice being present without distracting yourself and without stimulation,' Morrison noted.
'And when you're driving, it can be boring — so, basically you're practicing getting bored,' she said.
It can also be helpful to train your brain to move slower, said Morrison — 'because the ADHD brain wants to go fast and it wants to be efficient, even though, arguably, it can be very inefficient at times.' Instead of rushing to prep food or unpack your groceries, take your time while doing it, said Morrison.
'[This] can be helpful just to help your body become more comfortable with that inefficiency or that slowness,' Morrison noted.
'Your body and brain want to move fast, and that's not always the safest option when driving, so you're literally helping your body to practice being slow and inefficient, to just get used to that discomfort,' she said.
When you're driving, Morrison said it's a good idea to avoid audiobooks or music that you hyper-focus on, and instead turn on options that hold your attention, but don't totally distract you from the road.
And it goes without saying, you should not be looking at your phone while driving (this goes for everyone — ADHD or not), said Morrison.
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