The Effects of Migraine on Driving Safety, Habits, and Risk Perception

Objective This study aims to reveal the multidimensional effects of migraine on driving by evaluating the driving habits of individuals with migraine and patients' adherence to safety strategies. Materials and Methods This multicenter, hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted between May and July 2024. Volunteers with migraine, aged 18-65 years, and with a driving history were included in the study after their consent. Detailed face-to-face interviews were conducted using a form adapted from the Driving Habit Questionnaire to assess the patients' demographic characteristics, individual driving experiences, driving preferences and habits. Finally, the impact of driving on the patients' quality of life was assessed using the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6). Results Of the 2548 patients evaluated in our study, 1333 had driving experience; the mean age of the drivers was 36.7±9.5 years, and 64.4% were female. Patients with migraine drove approximately 4.86 days/week; 64.1% had driving experience of more than 10 years. They generally complied with safety precautions: 92.2% of participants always fastened their seat belts, and 85.2% regularly checked their rearview mirrors before driving. 28.8% of patients always wanted to be drivers, and 26.3% drove faster than the speed limit, contrary to traffic flow. Common factors related to frequent driving behaviour, higher driving speeds, and a tendency to perceive themselves as better drivers were male gender, smoking and alcohol use, longer driving experience, and lower HIT-6. The mean HIT-6 score was 62.2±7.1 in drivers with migraine. Conclusion Our findings suggest that migraine shapes driving behaviors by affecting driving frequency, speed preferences, and subjective driving confidence, and this should be considered in clinical assessments.