Teens With AD/HD May Struggle To Learn To Drive

On the front of its Science Times section, the New York Times (3/27, D1, O'Neil, Subscription Publication) reports that "researchers say that many teenagers with attention or other learning problems can become good drivers, but not easily or quickly, and that some will be better off not driving till they are older -- or not at all." The problems include not just "distractibility," but also "impulsiveness." The story notes that "a 2007 study, by Russell A. Barkley of the Medical University of South Carolina and Daniel J. Cox of the University of Virginia Health System, concluded that young drivers with" attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) "are two to four times as likely as those without the condition to have an accident -- meaning that they are at a higher risk of wrecking the car than an adult who is legally drunk."