Article

PURPOSE: To examine pre- and post-injury self-reported driver behaviour and
safety in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who returned to driving
after occupational therapy driver assessment and on-road rehabilitation. METHOD:
A self-report questionnaire, administered at an average of 4.5 years after
completing an on-road driver assessment, documenting pre- and post-injury crash
rates, near-crashes, frequency of driving, distances driven, driving conditions
avoided and navigation skills, was completed by 106 participants, who had either
passed the initial driver assessment (pass group n = 74), or required driver
rehabilitation, prior to subsequent assessments (rehabilitation group n = 32).
RESULTS: No significant difference was found between pre- and post-injury crash
rates. Compared to pre-injury, 36.8% of drivers reported limiting driving time,
40.6% drove more slowly, 41.5% reported greater difficulty with navigating and
20.0% reported more near-crashes. The rehabilitation group (with greater injury
severity) was significantly more likely to drive less frequently, shorter
distances, avoid: driving with passengers, busy traffic, night and freeway
driving than the pass group. CONCLUSIONS: Many drivers with moderate/severe TBI
who completed a driver assessment and rehabilitation program at least 3 months
post-injury, reported modifying their driving behaviour, and did not report more
crashes compared to pre-injury. On-road driver training and training in
navigation may be important interventions in driver rehabilitation programs.
Implications for Rehabilitation Driver assessment and on-road retraining are
important aspects of rehabilitation following traumatic brain injury. Many
drivers with moderate/severe TBI, reported modifying their driving behaviour to
compensate for ongoing impairment and continued to drive safely in the longer
term. Navigational difficulties were commonly experienced following TBI,
suggesting that training in navigation may be an important aspect of driver
rehabilitation.

Langue : ANGLAIS