Journal Article Reviews.

Abstract

ADHD Curry AE, Yerys BE, Metzger KB, et al. Traffic crashes, violations, and suspensions among young drivers with ADHD. Pediatrics. 2019;e20182305. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder that often persists into adolescence, when driving typically begins for most. Recent studies have found first-crash involvement to be 36% higher among drivers with ADHD compared with other adolescents. Curry et al. conducted a large retrospective cohort study to compare monthly rates of overall and specific crash types, violations, and suspensions over the initial 4 years of licensure for adolescent drivers with and without ADHD. A cohort of primary care patients at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia born between 1987 and 1997 were examined with linkage of electronic health records and state traffic data. A total of 14,936 adolescents were included, and 12% had a diagnosis of ADHD. Curry et al. found that crash rates were higher for drivers with ADHD regardless of licensing age, especially during the first month of licensure (adjusted rate ratio [ARR]: 1.62 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.18–2.23]). After adjusting for potential covariates and temporal trends, the 4-year crash rate of novice adolescent drivers with ADHD was 37% higher than that of drivers without ADHD (ARR 5 1.37, 95% CI: 1.26–1.48). Those with ADHD had 2.1 times higher rate of alcoholrelated crashes than that of drivers without ADHD, and in the first year of driving, the rate of alcohol and/or drug violations was 3.6 times higher for adolescents with ADHD. In addition, rates of moving violations were consistently higher for drivers with ADHD over the study period (at 48 months ARR: 1.47; [95% CI 1.36–1.58]). Information about the rates of medication use in this sample was not reported. This study highlights the need to support young drivers, particularly right after they obtain their license, with a focus on also decreasing risktaking behaviors. O.V.B.