title: Simulated driving performance of combat veterans with mild tramatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We determined differences in driving errors between combat veterans with mild traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder and healthy control participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared 18 postdeployed combat veterans with 20 control participants on drivingerrors in a driving simulator.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Combat veterans were more likely to be male; were younger; and had more racial diversity, less formal education, and lower cognitive scores than control participants. Control participants made more signaling errors (t [19] = -2.138, p = .046, SE = 0.395), but combat veterans made more overspeeding (t [17.3] = 4.095, p = .001, SE = 0.708) and adjustment-to-stimuli (t [17] = 2.380, p = .029, SE = 0.140) errors. Young age was related to overspeeding.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combat veterans made more critical driving errors than did control participants. Such errors made on the road may lead to crashes or injuries. Although limited in generalizability, these findings provide early support for developing safe driving interventions for combat veterans.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Mobility, Activity, and Participation, and Associate Professor, Occupational Therapy Department, University of Florida, PO Box 100164, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. sclassen@phhp.ufl.edu
authors.forename: Sherrilene
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Classen
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Dustin L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bewernitz
authors.forename: Desiree N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Lanford
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Mann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D055826:Afghan Campaign 2001-; D000367:Age Factors; D001334:Automobile Driving; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054542:Iraq War, 2003-2011; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications*; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans