The Role of Metacognitive Awareness, Attentional Lapses, and Aggressive Driving Behavior in ADHD and Non-ADHD Drivers

Driver behavior on public roadways requires closer attention to how self-monitoring, attentional control, and individual differences relate to unsafe driving outcomes. This study examined how metacognitive awareness, attentional lapses, mindfulness, temporal focus, and ADHD diagnosis relate to aggressive driving behavior. Participants completed questionnaires assessing metacognitive regulation, cognitive failures, mindfulness, temporal focus, and aggressive driving behavior. Findings indicated that attentional lapses were the strongest predictor of aggressive driving behavior. ADHD diagnosis was no longer a significant predictor after cognitive and self-regulatory variables were included in the model. These results suggest that aggressive driving behavior was more strongly linked to attentional lapses and monitoring failures than to ADHD diagnosis alone. Overall, the findings from this study suggest that aggressive driving behavior is meaningfully influenced by the combination of cognitive lapses, self-monitoring, and individual driver characteristics. Implications include improved driver assessment tools and attentional regulation training for drivers.