Investigators at Utrecht University, the Netherlands; and centers in Australia and Detroit, MI, evaluated the lapses of attention during on-road highway driving in 18 adult ADHD patients during treatment with methylphenidate (MPH) or placebo. Driving was significantly better with MPH when compared with placebo, with reduction in weaving, lapses, and inattention. Lapses were common on placebo (11/18 patients), and much less after MPH (5/18). Lapses often go unnoticed by drivers. [1]
COMMENTARY. ADHD young adults are twice as likely to be cited for unlawful speeding and have more crashes and more accidents involving bodily injury, when compared to non-ADHD adult control subjects. These findings support a need for continued treatment of ADHD into adolescence and adulthood. Improvement of driving performance of adolescent drivers with ADHD was demonstrated using a driving simulator while taking Concerta compared to placebo [2] or immediate-release MPH [3].