Medication Can Lower Car Crash Risk For ADHD Patients
It’s generally recognized that most new drivers in Louisiana can improve their skills with practice. The same rule applies to drivers diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, a recent analysis of 2.3 million adult drivers with ADHD in the U.S. shows that medication prescribed for this neurodevelopmental disorder could help against the perils of distracted driving. Medication along with behavioral therapy may assist these drivers with judgment calls and impulse control, which are two common symptoms of ADHD.
The study looked at data from health insurance claims made from 2005 through 2014. All the drivers had an ADHD diagnosis and were over 18 years old with an average age of 32. A full 83.9 percent, or 1.9 million, of the people researched had filled a prescription for ADHD medication. It was determined that those drivers who took their ADHD prescription were involved in significantly fewer car accidents than drivers who did not take their medication.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 32,744 deaths occurred on the nation’s roadways in 2015, and 3,477 of those losses were due to distracted driving. Certainly, not all distracted driving accidents can be blamed on ADHD. However, a specialist on the subject points to several studies that indicate impaired judgment and impulse control issues in ADHD patients may put these drivers at a greater risk of causing a crash.
Car accidents can cause major medical problems. By filing a personal injury claim, a crash victim could get compensation for damages. A personal injury attorney may be able to help the victim of an accident sort through the legal terminology and various laws that come into play after a motor vehicle accident occurs.
