Return to driving within 5 years of moderate-severe traumatic brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
To examine return to driving and variables associated with that activity in a longitudinal database.


METHODS
Retrospective analysis of a large, national database.


METHODS
The sample was comprised of people with predominantly moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) enrolled in the TBI Model System national database at 16 centres and followed at 1 (n = 5942), 2 (n = 4628) and 5 (n = 2324) years after injury.


RESULTS
Respondents were classified as driving or not driving at each follow-up interval. Five years after injury, half the sample had returned to driving. Those with less severe injuries were quicker to return to driving, but, by 5 years, severity was not a factor. Those who were driving expressed a higher life satisfaction. Functional status at rehabilitation discharge, age at injury, race, pre-injury residence, pre-injury employment status and education level were associated with the odds of a person driving.


CONCLUSIONS
Half of those with a moderate-severe TBI return to driving within 5 years and most of those within 1 year of injury. Driving is associated with increased life satisfaction. There are multiple factors that contribute to return to driving that do not relate to actual driving ability.
Novack
Thomas A
TA
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA. novack@uab.edu
Labbe
Don
D
Grote
Miranda
M
Carlson
Nichole
N
Sherer
Mark
M
Arango-Lasprilla
Juan Carlos
JC
Bushnik
Tamara
T
Cifu
David
D
Powell
Janet M
JM
Ripley
David
D
Seel
Ronald T
RT
D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D000577:Amides; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000523:psychology; D052117:Benzodioxoles; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices
D000577:Amides; D052117:Benzodioxoles; C454279:retrofractamide A