Slow brains may lead to fast car crashes
Embargoed until:
Publicly released:
2019-09-14 01:00
If our working memory - an area which is critical to awareness of hazards while driving - is on a slow path to being fully developed, we could be at a higher risk of a car crash, say US researchers. As we age, our working memory gets better at determining hazards on the road, and the team say a routine assessment of how our brains are progressing in this area could separate out the young drivers who are likely to have a crash.
Journal/conference: JAMA Network Open
Link to research (DOI): 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.11421
Organisation/s: The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, USA
Funder: This research was funded by a grant from the US National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01 DA 18913), with support from the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the Center for Injury Research and Prevention and Dr Winston’s Distinguished Chair in the Department of Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Media Release
From: JAMA
Are Differences in Working Memory Development Associated With Crashes Involving Young Drivers?
Working Memory Development and Motor Vehicle Crashes in Young Drivers
What The Study Did: This study of 84 young drivers looked at the association between motor vehicle crashes and differences in the development of working memory, which is critical to awareness of hazards while driving.
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