Country Life In The City

The next time you’re about to swear at that idiot that just cut you up, or is swerving all over the motorway, it could just be their genes.

U.S. researchers have found that people with a specific gene variant perform >20% worse on a driving test that those with a different DNA sequence. This discovery was made in part by accident as the researchers weren’t examining driving abilities specifically, they just used it as it requires common skills.

The gene they were examining actually controls a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which affects memory. In all, 29 people took part in the study carried out by a team at the University of California Irvine. 22 people tested by the team led by Dr Stephen Cramer did not have the gene, and in 7 volunteers the gene was present.

The volunteers were asked to drive 15 laps on a simulator and repeat the task one week later. Those people with the gene consistently did worse. “These people make more errors from the get-go, and they forget more of what they learned after time away,” Dr Cramer said. He added “I’d be curious to know the genetics of people who get into car crashes,”I wonder if the accident rate is higher for drivers with the variant.”

It’ll certainly make me think when I’m out on a sw rideout. South West England has quite a lot of narrower roads when you get out into the countryside and I’ve seen quite a few drivers obviously lacking something, especially when they need to reverse. Maybe its all in the genes.