Dr. Joris C. Verster at University of Utrecht in the Netherlands conducted a study and discovered that Ritalin significantly improved the driving skills of patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They used a pool of 18 people ages 21-30 and compared their driving skills on and off of their medication. Off medication, they were able to maintain a steady speed, but they weaved more. The weaving was even more pronounced during the latter part of their trip.
This finding was not surprising because ADHD causes problems with sustained attention, or sticking to a task for a sustained period. The driving test in this study took 1 hour so the patients off their medication had more trouble staying focused on the road and not being distracted by things on the side of the road.
I’m not sure how the weaving (also called standard deviation from lateral position in the study) was measured. That is, are we talking weaving like a driver under the influence, or minor deviations from the center of the lane? I doubt that skipping medication means automatic driving into oncoming traffic, but these findings do illustrate the importance of knowing one’s limitations if you have ADHD.
I’m frequently asked if someone will have to remain on medication for ADHD forever. I tell some people that usually over time the impact of attention problems lessen in adulthood. Many people have attendtion deficit problems, but learn to adapt by staying away from activities or responsibilities that stress their attention capacity. So in this example of driving, rather than concluding that a person with ADHD is a dangerous driver off medication, one could say that the same person should not be considered the anchor driver for a long road trip.
Let me know what you think