Assessing the relationships between migraine and driving risks, challenges and coping strategies

Driving is a multitasking activity that requires sustained attention, multisensory integration, and rapid reaction capacity. This study aims to assess the under-recognized disability experienced during driving in individuals with migraine, the outcomes of symptoms triggered during driving on safety, and the coping strategies employed. This cross-sectional study included individuals between the ages of 18 and 65 diagnosed with migraine according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders-3 criteria. A structured form, based on the "Driving Habits Questionnaire," was applied to patients by 57 neurologists face-to-face. It covered parameters such as demographics, headache characteristics during driving, sensitivity to driving, coping strategies, the Headache Impact Test-6, driving cessation, and traffic accidents. The patients were divided into diagnostic subgroups: those with/without aura, episodic/chronic, and those with and without vestibular migraine by headache experts. Additionally, we employed a Structural Equation Model (SEM) to identify the variables that influence driving cessation and accidents. Of the 2,522 patients evaluated, 1,333 (mean age: 36.75 ± 9.53 years; 64.4% female) had an active driving history. Patients experienced headaches in 13% of their active driving sessions, and 70.6% had experienced a headache while driving at least once during their active driving sessions. Due to migraine, 1.7% of the patients ceased driving, and 9.2% reduced their driving frequency. The mean age of the drivers who had an accident was younger [35.3133; 95% CI: 34.1677-36.4589, p = 0.007]. Headaches during driving were mainly associated with decreased attention (69%), restlessness (66%), and nervousness (56%). To cope with headaches, drivers most often preferred to use analgesics/triptans (58.8%), turn off the music (51.9%), and wear sunglasses (47.7%). SEM revealed causal relationships between migraine subtypes, symptoms, road conditions affecting driving sensitivity, the impact of headaches on driving, direct and indirect cessation of driving, and accident probability. Our findings demonstrated that driving is an underrecognized factor that can cause insidious disability in patients with migraine and may pose a threat to driving safety, often underappreciated in clinical care and traffic regulations. Raising awareness about migraine-related driving impairments and enhancing coping mechanisms may reduce preventable risks and improve the quality of life for affected individuals.

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Journal
Scientific Reports
Published
2026-06-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-53327-4
Primary Topic
Older Adults Driving Studies
Type
article
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article

Assessing the relationships between migraine and driving risks, challenges and coping strategies

Şaziye Melike IŞIK, Buse Çağla Arı, Nesrin Ergin, Eda Bozkurt et al.
Scientific Reports
Older Adults Driving Studies
article

Assessing the relationships between migraine and driving risks, challenges and coping strategies

Şaziye Melike IŞIK, Buse Çağla Arı, Nesrin Ergin, Eda Bozkurt, Nevra Öksüz, Gülcan Göçmez Yılmaz, A Özdemir, Aygül Güneş, Aysenur Sahin, Gülşen Kocaman, Merve Önerli Yener, İsmail Alkan, Nermin Tepe, İrem Yıldırım, Arife Çimen Atalar, Betül Özenç, Rabia Gökçen Gözübatık-Çelik, Samiye Ulutas, Tuba Tanyel Saraçoğlu, Elif Ilgaz Aydınlar, Rahşan Karacı, Derya Bayram, Vugar Jafar, Tuba Cerrahoğlu Şirin, Ramazan Şencan, Pınar Yalinay Dikmen, Esma Kobak Tur, Necdet Karlı, Reza Ghouri, Aysel Tekeşin, Fatma Gülhan Şahbaz, A. Pala, Gülcan Taşçatan, Güldeniz Çetin Erci, TAMER BAYRAM, AYDAN TOPAL, İNCİ MÜLKEM ŞİMŞEK, Betül Baykan, Emel Oguz-Akarsu, Ergun Y. Uc, Buket Yılmaz, Meltem Karacan Gölen, Hayrunnisa Bolay, Tugba Erdogan, Gizem Gursoy, Derya Uluduz, Esra Aciman Demirel, Bahar Tasdelen, Fulya Eren, Pelin Yenilmez Yesildas, Fusun Domac, Cansu Koseoglu Toksoy, Hamit Genc, Tugba Uyar Cankay, Elif Kocasoy Orhan, Demet Aygun Ustel, Esme Ekizoglu, Mig-Drive Study Group, Aynur Ozge, Nermin Tanik
article en

Abstract

Driving is a multitasking activity that requires sustained attention, multisensory integration, and rapid reaction capacity. This study aims to assess the under-recognized disability experienced during driving in individuals with migraine, the outcomes of symptoms triggered during driving on safety, and the coping strategies employed. This cross-sectional study included individuals between the ages of 18 and 65 diagnosed with migraine according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders-3 criteria. A structured form, based on the "Driving Habits Questionnaire," was applied to patients by 57 neurologists face-to-face. It covered parameters such as demographics, headache characteristics during driving, sensitivity to driving, coping strategies, the Headache Impact Test-6, driving cessation, and traffic accidents. The patients were divided into diagnostic subgroups: those with/without aura, episodic/chronic, and those with and without vestibular migraine by headache experts. Additionally, we employed a Structural Equation Model (SEM) to identify the variables that influence driving cessation and accidents. Of the 2,522 patients evaluated, 1,333 (mean age: 36.75 ± 9.53 years; 64.4% female) had an active driving history. Patients experienced headaches in 13% of their active driving sessions, and 70.6% had experienced a headache while driving at least once during their active driving sessions. Due to migraine, 1.7% of the patients ceased driving, and 9.2% reduced their driving frequency. The mean age of the drivers who had an accident was younger [35.3133; 95% CI: 34.1677-36.4589, p = 0.007]. Headaches during driving were mainly associated with decreased attention (69%), restlessness (66%), and nervousness (56%). To cope with headaches, drivers most often preferred to use analgesics/triptans (58.8%), turn off the music (51.9%), and wear sunglasses (47.7%). SEM revealed causal relationships between migraine subtypes, symptoms, road conditions affecting driving sensitivity, the impact of headaches on driving, direct and indirect cessation of driving, and accident probability. Our findings demonstrated that driving is an underrecognized factor that can cause insidious disability in patients with migraine and may pose a threat to driving safety, often underappreciated in clinical care and traffic regulations. Raising awareness about migraine-related driving impairments and enhancing coping mechanisms may reduce preventable risks and improve the quality of life for affected individuals.

Scientific Reports
Balıkesir University (TR), Bahçeşehir University (TR), Bursa Uludağ Üni̇versi̇tesi̇ (TR), Bilkent University (TR), Başkent University (TR), Mardin Artuklu University (TR), Taksim German Hospital (TR), Yozgat Bozok Üniversitesi (TR), University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (US), State Hospital (GB), Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University (TR), Kütahya Dumlupınar Üniversitesi (TR), Acıbadem University (TR), Bakırköy Psychiatric Hospital (TR), Turkish Society of Hematology (TR), Konya Numune Hastanesi (TR), Eskişehir City Hospital (TR), Gaziantep Children's Hospital (TR), Memorial Ankara Hospital (TR), Sivas State Hospital (TR), Antalya Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Ümraniye Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa (TR), Medical Park Gaziantep Hospital (TR), Samsun University (TR), Education Training And Research (US), Başkent University Hospital (TR), Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi (TR), Istanbul Eye Hospital (TR), Kent Hastanesi (TR), Şişli Etfal Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Antalya IVF (TR), İstanbul Kanuni Sultan Süleyman Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Fatih Sultan Mehmet Eğitim Ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), S.B.Ü. Bursa Yüksek İhtisas Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi (TR), Altınbaş University (TR), Pamukkale University (TR), Mersin Üniversitesi (TR), Afyon Kocatepe University (TR), Istanbul University (TR), Gazi University (TR)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Older Adults Driving Studies
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