Is your kid a crazy driver? Is he to blame for sending your car insurance premium through the roof? Before you hold a grudge and withhold the car keys, you may want to take a good look in the mirror. According to a new study, your child’s maniacal driving habits could actually be your fault.
Sure… blame the mother.
The recently published study claims that bad driving may be genetic. According to researchers, there may be a particular gene that contributes to poor driving. Interestingly, if the research results hold up, it would mean that 30 percent of American drivers would fall into the category of “genetically bad drivers.”
The study included 29 individuals—-seven with the so-called bad-driving gene and 22 without it. For four consecutive days, all of the study participants drove 15 laps on a simulator that required them to learn the nuances of a track with difficult curves and turns. Researchers observed how well participants stayed on course and noted the results.
Their findings: Participants with the alleged bad-driving gene performed 20 percent worse on the simulation test compared with those without the gene variant; similar results were observed in a follow-up test as well.
Steven Cramer, an associate professor of neurology at the University of California, Irvine, was the study’s lead researcher. He says people with the supposed bad-driving gene “make more errors from the get-go, and they forget more of what they learned after time away.”
The study’s results led researchers to wonder what part genetics play in major car accidents.
“I wonder if the accident rate is higher for drivers with the variant,” Cramer noted.
So, how can you tell if you are genetically inclined to drive like a maniac?
According to researchers, while a test to determine whether someone has the gene variant is not commercially available, there are several real-world experiments going on right now.
What kind of driver are you? How well does your teen stay on the road? Would you consider getting the gene test done if/when it becomes commercially available?
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