A resent research done on Dyslexic drivers by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, has managed to spark heated debates among the Dyslexic community.
A small study done using driving simulators to test the reaction time of 17 Volunteers, (six of the 17 used were dyslexic) by the University found that Dyslexic drivers took 30% longer to react then the other drivers.Research at the Norwegian University based in Trondheim, asked the volunteers to complete two driving tasks. The first involved a four minute drive along a simulated country road (rural drive) at approximately 30-50 miles per hour. The second task, involved the volunteers to drive through a simulated city at lower speeds for about 10-minutes.
The researchers unraveled that the dyslexic drivers had on an average taken, 0.13 seconds longer to react during the rural drive and 0.19 seconds longer to react during the urban drive when compared to the other drivers.
The researchers concluded that dyslexic drivers may have a problem perceiving rapid change in their environment such as responding to a sign when driving.
However due to the small size of the sample of the study one cannot make definite conclusions hence more research may actually be needed on a larger scale. After all not to forget in a hurry that Sir Jackie Stewart is a dyslexic and was one of the greatest Formula 1 driver.
.Dyslexia is a much more complex medical problem with a large number of variables and any study may not be able to generalize and give conclusions. We are all unique in our own ways and so are the dyslexics.
