Dr. Miquel Casas, responsible from the Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addictions group at Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR) and head of the Psychiatry Service at Vall d’Hebron University Hospital (HUVH), presented the first outcomes of the study “Evaluation and treatment of the psychopathologic symptoms related to high-risk driving and road accidents”. In a sample of 500 individuals, researchers detected that nearly the 40% of the drivers who attended the course for recovering their driving license probably suffer a psychopathology such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or impulsivity disorder, that could cause high-risk driving.The study was presented at the "http://premsa.gencat.cat/pres_fsvp/AppJava/notapremsavw/detall.do?id=229852&idioma=0" "http://premsa.gencat.cat/pres_fsvp/AppJava/notapremsavw/detall.do?id=229852&idioma=0" V Session of Road Traffic Victims, where Dr. Casas explained that “the ultimate aim of this research is contributing to the reduction of road accidents by diagnosing psychopathologic factors among drivers who have repeatedly broken the law”. For that purpose, VHIR’s researcher claims for the identification, diagnosis and preventive treatment of psychopathology disorders which could have consequences in the road.In the last 6 months, the team of psychiatrists and psychologists from Vall d’Hebron participated in one session of nearly 20 courses for the recovering of the driving license, in order to explain to the attendees the symptoms of the main disorders linked to their behavior: lack of attention, orientation, alcohol or cannabis consumption and variability in the state of mind. After this session, nearly the 40% of the drivers who attended the course went to the hospital looking for diagnosis and treatment if necessary. Disorders linked to high-risk drivingThe main non-psychotic psychopathologic factors linked to driving skills are bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome and disorders caused by the use of psychoactive substances.These disorders can trigger attention deficits, difficulties for doing objective assessments of the reality, impulsiveness, and the need to find stimulating situations, especially those who might be dangerous. These people also use to take alcohol and drugs, are aggressive and don’t use to accept advices nor warnings. For those reasons, Dr. Casas alerts that “if they are not properly identified, diagnosed and treated, they might be marginalized and involved in road accidents”.Preventive measuresIf results are confirmed, researchers recommend the implementation of voluntary basic tools of psychopathic assessment tests for those who are going to obtain the license or lose the points of the license for the first time, in order to detect possible cases and offering treatment. Nonetheless, they suggest that such tests should be compulsory for those who lose their licenses more than once and want to get them back. Finally, they also recommend offering, as a part of the compliance of all the alternative penal measures, the diagnosis and treatment of all those who had been condemned to prison for driving offences. In fact, the study, which will last 2 years, will be extended to Catalan prisons, where there are nearly 800 convicted for driving offences. The project is boosted by the Catalan Traffic Service and the Catalan departments of Health and Homeland Security, in collaboration with Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and RACC.