Tips for Parents of Teen Drivers

Good news for teens with AD /HD wanting to improve their driving skills and also reduce their risk of car accidents and traffic violations: the AD/HD Safe Driving Program can help. Developed by Russell Barkley, PhD, the program incorporates several research-validated practices found in his extensive work with parents of teens with AD/HD, including charting, contracting, and monitoring. Medication compliance is also closelytracked in those for whom medication has been prescribed. Barkley’s research shows that stimulant medication has a positive impact on driving performance among individuals with AD/HD.

Three levels of independence

Beginning drivers progress through three levels, with each new level allowing for greater independence. A level can be completed in 6 months, as long as young drivers follow all program guidelines and demonstrate safe driving skills. The program runs for approximately

18 months from beginning to end. On level one (0 to 6 months), teens drive only during daytime. Level two (6 to 12 months) extends driving time to the evening hours (9 or 10 p.m.). Research shows that most fatal car accidents involving teens occur between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Teens drive freely on level three (12 to 18 months), while following rules agreed upon with parents. Parents and teens also complete a 26-item driving behavior survey at the start of the program and after completing each level. Results help determine whether teen drivers are ready to move from one level to the next.

How to get the keys

Young drivers are asked to keep a log of each driving experience. Log entries include medication (if prescribed, was it taken?), destination, route/miles, contact name and phone number, time/out and time/returned, and odometer. They must also place a small decal on the driver’s side window listing the following Everyday Rules:

1. Take medication as prescribed.

2. Fill out the log every trip.

3. While driving keep music low

4. Preset radio stations

5. No eating

6. No other teens in the car

7. Absolutely NO alcohol

Three steps to getting started

Before beginning, new drivers and their parents enter into a contract that spells out their

respective responsibilities. Teens are responsible for accepting AD/HD as a biological

disorder that affects driving. Teens also agree to abide by the safe driving rules, and must

understand that they can graduate to the next level only when they succeed for six consecutive

months at their current level. Parents agree to grant driving privileges if rules are

complied with. Parents and teens also agree that parents have the right and responsibility

to check the accuracy of the teen’s driving log, the right to determine whether rules were

appropriately followed, and if not, to institute appropriate consequences, which could include

loss of driving privileges. Next, new drivers listen to a song on a CD that helps them remember the Everyday Rules. The decal listing the rules is then placed on the driver’s side window (at the

point of performance). This way, rules are always visible when driving. The program also highlights important research findings related to young drivers in general and young drivers with AD/HD in particular. Research shows, for example, that new drivers with AD/HD have 2 to 4 times more accidents (including serious accidents with injuries) and many more traffic violations than their peers who do not have AD/HD (see sidebar). These and other findings help parents and teens understand why the everyday rules were selected and the purpose behind graduated

levels. For those teens with AD/HD who feel unfairly singled out, the findings help

explain why a program like this may represent an important opportunity, rather than a punishment. Information about the AD/HD Safe Driving Program can be obtained through Compact Clinicals (www.compactclinicals.com or by phone, 800-408-8830).

To read more about this subject and other informative articles on ADHD, visit CHADD online.