imkittymyers at hotmail dot com
Thursday, February 03, 2005
DRINKING, DRIVING & DYSLEXIA
God, those bloody roundabouts will drive me to drink!
Dyslexic drivers 'slower to react than drinkers'
DYSLEXIA can slow down a driver’s reaction time more than "moderate" drinking, it was claimed yesterday.
…
The new study showed that drivers with dyslexia took 30 per cent longer to react to road signs in a driving simulation, while drivers who are just over the alcohol limit show an increase in reaction times of ten per cent.
…
Motor-racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart, who is the president of Dyslexia Scotland, said he did not believe dyslexic drivers should face extra tests. But he said the findings did not surprise him.
"One in ten of our population is affected by this and they don’t have to be told. People know their limitations only too well and in many cases like mine, people have been told they are slow and stupid all their lives." Despite a "God-given gift" for driving and lightning-fast reactions on the track, the three-times Formula One champion admitted his severe dyslexia meant he was still confused by roundabouts.
…
"I cannot remember the alphabet or the Lord’s Prayer but I can remember all 187 corners of the Nurburgring, which is one of the most difficult circuits in the world."