| Traffic accidents are a significant health issue in Iran, and mostly due to drivers’ failures
and health issues. In this view, the association between age, symptoms of attention-defi
cit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), objective visual perception and attention (spatial cueing
and visual search) and drivers’ driving violations and accidents have not been investigated
in Iran so far. To counter this, 183 participants (mean age: 31.65 years; 147 males, 36
females) were assessed. They completed self-rating questionnaires covering sociodemographic information, driving violations, traffic accidents, and symptoms of ADHD.
Further, participants’ visual search and spatial cueing were objectively tested. Results
showed that higher symptoms of ADHD were associated with higher traffic violations
and accidents, but also with a faster visual search and spatial cueing. Further, higher aging
was associated with lower visual search and spatial cueing speed. Both higher ADHD scores
and lower age predicted faster visual search and spatial cueing performance. The pattern of
results suggests that among adults, symptoms of ADHD appeared to be both negatively
associated with higher traffic violations, but also with faster visual search and spatial cueing performance. By contrast, the opposite was true as regards age. To increase traffic
safety, both drivers with older age and with symptoms of ADHD appear to demand special
attention. |