Driving experiences of disabled drivers.
OBJECTIVE
To study the influence of non-standard controls on return to driving after disability, including prevalence of accidents/retraining difficulties.


METHODS
Postal questionnaires sent within two years of assessment to 972 disabled drivers seen over a three-year period.


METHODS
Scottish Driving Assessment Service.


METHODS
All patients considered capable of driving after assessment during the study period.


RESULTS
Five hundred and eighty-nine people (61 %) replied who were representative of the total population (mean age 55 years, range 19-87); 73% were male and 70% were disabled for up to two years. Overall 79% respondents had returned to driving (highest reported success with standard manual car (86%) and lowest using left foot to accelerate and brake (66%) (chi2 = 16.6, P = 0.005)). A significantly higher proportion of the 30 patients (6.5%) admitting to accidents and 25 (5.4%) to problems with retraining were using non-standard driving techniques, especially the use of hand controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Disabled drivers returning to drive using non-familiar controls had lower success and a higher proportion of accidents and/or problems with retraining than people using conventional controls. If confirmed in larger studies this may have implications for policy-makers as well as specialist practitioners.
Prasad
R S
RS
Scottish Driving Assessment Service, Rehabilitation Medicine Directorate, Astley Ainslie Hospital, Grange Loan, Edinburgh, UK. rama.prasad@lpt.nhs.uk
Hunter
J
J
Hanley
J
J
D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001076:Aptitude; D001334:Automobile Driving; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012606:Scotland; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires