Are people with ADHD more likely to have car accidents?

Are people with ADHD more likely to have car accidents?

Driving is full of distractions, from cellphones to other drivers on the road. But for adults and teens dealing with symptoms of ADHD, like inattention and impulsivity, those disruptions can make driving especially risky.

On average, adult drivers with ADHD in one study got into a crash every two years, and people with severe ADHD symptoms averaged one accident a year. A large study in JAMA Pediatrics found that teen and young adult drivers with ADHD were 36% more likely to get into car accidents compared to drivers without ADHD. Only 12.1% of the study participants were taking ADHD medication at the time, though. This highlights the potential risk that untreated ADHD can have on driving.

In fact, diagnosis and treatment are crucial for keeping drivers with ADHD more focused and alert on the road. A study in JAMA Psychiatry compared medical records with insurance claims and found that 22% of the crashes in the study period could have been avoided if the participants had used medications.

A 2026 review found that adults who were diagnosed with ADHD but not treated with stimulant medication got into car crashes more often. Researchers grouped untreated ADHD with other risky driving behaviors, such as driving under the influence of cannabis or alcohol, driving while sleepy, and speeding.

“Not only are [people with untreated ADHD] involved in more car accidents, more fender benders, but they’re more likely to have physical injuries as a result of the car accidents,” says David Goodman, M.D., director of the Adult Attention Deficit Disorder Center of Maryland. “So you have to think about this as not only a risk to the untreated ADHD individuals, but it’s a risk for every car that happens to be around them.”

Of course, just because you have ADHD doesn’t mean you’ll get into accidents or that you can’t be safe on the road, notes Robert M. Tudisco, J.D., an education attorney with ADHD who represents adolescents in school as well as in criminal and juvenile cases. “Outward manifestations of ADHD vary depending on the person,” he says. “There are individuals with ADHD who are very good drivers and have clean driving histories and few or no accidents.”

Becoming a safe driver with ADHD is possible at any age. It often comes down to practicing good driving habits. These range from being prepared for “highway hypnosis” to consulting with a doctor to determine the best time to take ADHD medication. Understood shares what to know to stay safe behind the wheel.

What ADHD looks like on the road

In several studies, researchers monitored the driving behaviors of people with ADHD, using in-car cameras or driving simulators. They found that adult drivers with ADHD have less stable control of the car. They don’t practice defensive driving as much. They speed up and slow down more quickly, and they switch lanes more often.

Other ways ADHD may affect your driving include:

• Picking up your phone every time you get a notification
• Driving through red lights and stop signs you didn’t notice
• Feeling road rage, which leads you to race other cars or make quick lane changes
• Getting distracted and braking quickly to avoid hitting the car ahead of you
• Getting lost in a daydream and not realizing you’re driving too fast or too slow
• Forgetting your driver’s license at home

According to Goodman, inattentiveness is the main ADHD trait that contributes to these driving risks. It can cause you to be less aware of signs and what’s happening on the road. So every time you get distracted — by a text notification, a funny billboard, or a story a passenger is telling — you can have a hard time reacting to other cars, people, and changes in the road.

Driving environments can also affect attention. Long and boring roads — even new ones — may pose a focus challenge, says Sheila “Charlie” Klauer, Ph.D., leader of the Applied Driver Assessment Performance and Training Group at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. In fact, drivers with ADHD may focus better on more complex roads. “They actually do pretty well in more complex environments,” Klauer explains. “They’re able to focus better than when there’s not a lot going on.”

ADHD, emotional dysregulation, and impulsivity can also lead to unsafe driving. “If you get pissed about the guy in front of you who’s not going fast enough, you may suddenly change your lane without putting on a blinker and without looking, and then end up side-swiping somebody,” Goodman says. “That’s not an inattentive error. That’s an impulsivity error that grows out of emotional reactivity.”

From a neurobiological perspective, it’s not completely clear what’s happening in the ADHD brain to affect driving. According to Klauer, one hypothesis is that while adolescents with ADHD look around them, they don’t necessarily process what they see in the same way that neurotypical teens do.

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But more research is needed to fully understand how ADHD and driving accidents are related. “There are several studies out there, but we really are just touching the surface in terms of truly understanding what's going on,” Klauer says.

How ADHD affects driving at every age

In general, teens and young adults are at a higher risk for car crashes, according to Klauer. That’s even more true when the drivers have ADHD. Young drivers with ADHD are also more likely to be found responsible for the accidents they get into, according to research in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

And while neurotypical people typically become safer drivers as they enter adulthood, research suggests that the risk of accidents stays relatively high for people with ADHD. In fact, drivers with ADHD, ages 18 to 46, are more likely to be in severe crashes, including fatal ones.

Adults with ADHD who are over age 65 may also face increased driving risks. A study of adults ages 65 to 79 years found that those with ADHD were twice as likely to report getting traffic tickets and 74% more likely to get into car crashes compared to drivers without ADHD.

Tips for drivers with ADHD

In addition to seeking diagnosis and treatment, drivers with ADHD can take steps to practice safer driving. Experts recommend the following tips for staying alert and focused on the road.

1. Hide your phone, or better yet, turn it off. Keeping a phone nearby can be one of the most dangerous distractions for a driver with ADHD, Goodman says. Stash your phone in the glove compartment or in a backseat pocket, so you can’t reach for it while behind the wheel. “You have to get the phone out of your hand, out of your reach, and out of your visual sight,” Goodman advises.

There are also apps that lock down a phone when motion is detected, like when you start driving. Apple and Android phones have built-in “do not disturb” and auto-reply features for drivers. And apps like DriveOff and DriveScribe can stop you from accessing texts and apps while driving.

2. Time your medications. If you use an ADHD stimulant, it’s important to take the right dose at the right time. Even the longest-lasting stimulants might not stay in your system long enough to help you drive at night. So you might benefit from a booster dose before you get behind the wheel. Work with your health care provider to find the best approach to your medication.

3. Beware “highway hypnosis.” When you’re driving for a long time on boring, flat roads, you might zone out and forget whole stretches of the road. This is called highway hypnosis. And it can be dangerous because you might not notice obstacles, or if you’re driving too fast or too slow. You can avoid highway hypnosis by taking frequent breaks from driving. You can also listen to music and keep yourself active, like by chewing gum.

4. Avoid big carpools. With several people in the car, you might get pulled into conversations or feel overwhelmed by all the noise. If other passengers tend to be a distraction for you, Goodman recommends limiting the number of people you agree to drive. And if you’re driving a large group, consider letting someone else take the wheel.

5. Check your route ahead of time. Do some homework to avoid having to check your phone or GPS for directions in the middle of a drive. If you’re headed to a new place, preview the route ahead of time. Klauer even recommends using Google Earth to look for areas that may be tricky to maneuver — or to find parking spots ahead of time.

6. Practice with new drivers. According to Klauer, it’s best to teach safe driving practices when teens are first taking the wheel. The more supervised practice — in as many different settings as possible — the better. And don’t forget to practice night driving. “Learning to drive is a skill that requires practice, and while the mechanics of learning to drive come very quickly, nuances of learning to drive do not,” Klauer points out.

Research shows that teens are more likely to have accidents when they’re alone in the car. So Klauer recommends using phone apps to understand how your ADHD teen is driving when they’re alone. Apps like Life360 can track their speed, how many times they pick up their phone, and how often they brake quickly.

If you need outside help, many driving schools now offer training programs for drivers with ADHD.

This story was produced by Understood and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.