Higher symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and younger age were associated with faster visual perception, but not with lower traffic violations

Driving Accidents, Driving Violations, Symptoms of Attention-Deficit-Hyperactivity (ADHD) and Attentional Network Tasks

“…As a further contribution to this complex pattern, in a previous study [ 22 ], we found that self-rated symptoms of ADHD were associated with self-reported traffic violations, but also with faster objective performance on visual search and special cueing tasks as proxies for cognitive performance.…”

“…Attentional network tasks and their interactions in driving tasks have been identified in several investigations [ 13 , 14 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. Various aspects of driving attention have been studied, including attention networks [ 18 , 22 ], attention and search conspicuity and visual context [ 23 ], visual attention [ 24 ], the effect of age and workload on 3D spatial attention in a dual-task driving [ 25 ], the influence of salient distractors in relation to the diversion of attention [ 26 ], and the effects of perceptual load and driving duration on the mind wandering while driving [ 27 ], along with low driving experience associated with less skilled visual scan patterns [ 28 ]. However, investigations of attentional network tasks have not been conducted with drivers in Iran.…”

“…However, very little evidence of this kind has been gathered in Iran. In a previous study, Zamani Sani et al [ 22 ] showed that, for adult drivers in Iran, self-reported symptoms of ADHD were associated with more frequent self-reported traffic violations and traffic accidents. A second aim of the present study was to determine whether these findings could be replicated, but employing different tools (here: ANT; previously [ 22 ]: CogLab ® ) to assess different cognitive processes (here: alerting, orienting, executive functions; previously [ 22 ]: visual search and spatial cueing).…”

“…Following others [ 18 , 23 , 25 , 74 ], we expected poor driving behavior as reflected in traffic violations and accidents to be associated with lower objectively assessed performance on attentional network tasks. Second, following others [ 22 , 70 ], we anticipated that more severe symptoms of ADHD would be associated with poor driving behavior, such as reported traffic violations and accidents. Third, following others [ 17 , 71 ], we predicted a correlation between age and poor functioning of attentional network task.…”

“…Vaa [ 65 ] and Fuermaier et al [ 53 ] both reported a negative correlation between symptoms of ADHD and objective cognitive performance, such as visual search and spatial cueing. However, Zamani Sani et al [ 22 ] were unable to confirm this pattern; in their study, self-reported symptoms of ADHD were associated with better performance on visual search and spatial cueing [ 22 ]. Our second research question asked which of the dimensions of age, symptoms of ADHD, and attentional network functioning best predicts traffic accidents and traffic violations.…”