Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026
Driving Simulation in the Clinic: Testing Visual Exploratory Behavior in Daily Life Activities in Patients with Visual Field Defects
Published on: September 18, 2012
Driving after cerebral ischemia--a driving simulator investigation
Sylvia Kotterba1, Walter Widdig, Stefan Brylak
1Department of Neurology, University Hospital Bergmannsheil, Bochum, Germany. Sylvia.kotterba@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Unlabelled:
Stroke patients with relevant deficits are not allowed to drive. This study tended to assess driving abilities in an early stage after cerebral ischemia with a driving simulator.
Methods:
32 patients (aged 54.9 +/- 14.8 years) with acute ischemia in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) (n = 24) and in the vertebral artery (VA) (n = 8) were investigated with reaction tests and a driving simulator. Controls were 12 healthy volunteers (aged 50.0 +/- 13.9 years).
Results:
Compared to controls, the accident rate was increased only in patients with MCA-ischemia (2.9 +/- 3.6 vs. 1.3 +/- 1.4, p < 0.05). These patients also had poorer results in the driving simulator (p < 0.05) than patients with VA-ischemia. Driving simulator performance and neuropsychological test results did not correlate.
Conclusion:
All patients had only mild deficits and stated themselves able to drive. We could demonstrate the need to focus on driving skills especially in patients with MCA-infarctions. The driving simulator assesses various physical and neuropsychological functions influencing driving. It may especially be used for expert opinions regarding driving licence. It can also serve as a pre-driver evaluation before on road driving tests.
