Bad driver? Blame the family genetics

[Every Breaking Wave]

Source

No need to curse that bad driver weaving in and out of the lane in front of you -- he cannot help it, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.

They found that people with a particular gene variant performed more than 20 percent worse on a driving test than people with a different DNA sequence.

The study may explain why there are so many bad drivers out there -- about 30 percent of Americans have the variant, the team at the University of California Irvine found.

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

Cramer and his team tested 29 people -- 22 without the gene variant and seven who had it -- asking them to drive 15 laps on a simulator and then repeat the task a week later.

To their surprise, they found that those with the mutant gene did worse, consistently.

The gene controls a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which affects memory.

The team was not really looking for insights into driving but chose the driving test because it uses common skills.

"I'd be curious to know the genetics of people who get into car crashes," Cramer said. "I wonder if the accident rate is higher for drivers with the variant."

 

[shining-Celebi]

I don't blame genes, I blame Bush.

 

[cascade88]

Funny. I have an aunt and cousin (mother & daughter) who both aren't the greatest drivers in the world. Go figure.

 

[Nanoka-kun]

i'm a bad driver because i am near sighted now , if i was 20/20 like when i was like 12 i think i could pull off a good driving sequence.

 

[DerMißingno]

Wait, 29 people? Their sample was not nearly large enough.

 

[Falconwing]

I got a 92 on my driver's test, which impressed the testing guy, but even I have difficulty avoiding other traffic, like sometimes stopping a little to close to the rear of the car in front of me.

I'm assuming that this information can prove something. After all, this article proved you can get a grant for anything.

 

[fate]

I thought this thread was about device drivers...

But this is BS. My father is a good driver but my mother is so bad she hit a parked car.

I'm a pretty good driver.

Also seems kinda silly when cars theoretically can only be traced back 2-3 generations. (with some exceptions, I'm sure)

 

[Patchy]

Your mother and father wouldnt really have the same genes.

These things are interesting I guess, but pretty much useless information.

 

[Ghost]

Who knew that genetics had an effect on your driving skills.__.

 

[Falconwing]

"I'm sorry officer. Blame my parents."

 

[Ghost]

A mutation is a difference in DNA that changes an organism's ability to survive. I guess you could call this a "mutation"!:-/

 

[NyaChan]

i'm a bad driver because i am near sighted now , if i was 20/20 like when i was like 12 i think i could pull off a good driving sequence.

Either you're not wearing glasses or making a joke. I'm HORRENDOUSLY near-sighted (without contacts or glasses I can barely see past my nose) and I'm not too horrible at driving. Not confident at it, but I sure as hell am not a bad driver.

I don't really think this is where we should be aiming the blame. :/ Parents are to blame for TEENS being stupid (since half of the parents don't give a damn), but no matter your family-linked talents or un-talents (can't think of a better word), you can learn to become better at something, even driving.

 

[Snake Bandage]

That's some terrible research. 29 people isn't a proper sample at all. You need a lot more people to test this kind of thing.

My dad is an excellent driver (my mom's not the best but she's as good as she can be with her terrible eyesight), but I don't think that has any effect on me and my sister's driving skills. I mean, I'm unusually good at controlling a car (my driving instructor was pretty amazed at that), but that's just because I play a lot of video games. =P I still fail at parking, which my dad is a master at.

 

[Barb]

That is terrible research. Anyone can be a good driver, genes notwithstanding.