Are You a Bad Driver? It May Be In Your Genes

Posted by Ben:

Finally, we may be able to do away with all those nasty stereotypes about bad drivers. According to some recent research, being a bad driver may have nothing to do with age, race, gender or any other social distinction. Rather, your skills behind the wheel might actually be set at birth.

 

In a small study, researchers found that people with a particular gene variation performed 20% worse on simulated driving tests. They retested the same group and they all performed just as poorly a few days later. The variation isn’t exactly rare, either. About 30% of Americans have the variation, according to the researchers.
 

While you may be able to circumvent genetics in some cases (dyeing your hair or wearing colored contact lenses, for example), counteracting the bad driver gene may not be so easy...even with practice!
 

“These people make more errors from the get-go, and they forget more of what they learned after time away," said Dr. Steven Cramer, senior author of the study published recently in the journal Cerebral Cortex.
 

How Did They Test for the “Bad Driving” Gene?
The researchers gathered up twenty-nine unsuspecting people and had them get in the driver’s seat of a simulator loaded with a rather difficult course, including tight curves and sharp turns. The idea was to design a course that required some learning (memory) to be able to successfully navigate with ease.
 

Seven of the participates had the gene variation. The whole group took the driving test, and then they came back four days later to retake the test. Those with the variant did worse, but they also failed with the memory portion. The seven were not able to remember as much the second time around as the others.
 

Don’t Start Snickering Just Yet
Contrary to my logic, the bad driver’s gene has its upside. The surprising thing to me was to learn that this gene, while it hampers your driving skills, actually slows mental decline for people with conditions like Parkinson's disease.
 

So the question becomes, what would you rather have: good driving skills, or a brain that ages well? I know what I'd wish for for all the other bad drivers out there!
 

Posted by Ben