Bedford Driving Lessons

Scientists have come up with yet another thing to blame on your parents – bad driving. A lack of skill behind the wheel is in the genes for about one in three of us, according to researchers. A study found drivers with a particular gene variant performed over 20 per cent worse on a test than those without it. The results were similar during a follow-up test a few days later. A gene variant passed from parents to children could affect their driving ability, according to the American study. In those affected, a smaller area of the brain is stimulated in response to a task compared with those who have a normal version of the gene. Dr Steven Cramer, of the University of California, Irvine, where the study was carried out, said: ‘These people make more errors, and they forget more of what they learned after time away. 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.’ The defective gene governs the availability of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor during activity. More