Simulated Driving Errors: Indicators of Real-World Driving Events in Returning Combat Veterans

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Science
• Occupational Therapy
• Traffic Safety

Background:

• Motor vehicle crashes are a significant cause of mortality among Veterans.
• Assessing and improving driving safety is crucial for this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the efficacy of an Occupational Therapy Driving Intervention (OT-DI) and a Traffic Safety Education (TSE) intervention on real-world driving in combat Veterans.
• To compare the effectiveness of OT-DI versus TSE in improving fitness-to-drive.

Main Methods:

• A randomized trial involving 42 combat Veterans.
• Assessment of fitness-to-drive using the CDS-250 driving simulator and driving records.
• Pre- and post-intervention evaluation of simulated and real-world driving events.

Main Results:

• The OT-DI group demonstrated significantly fewer over-speeding errors (p < .001) and total driving errors (p = .002) compared to the TSE group post-intervention.
• At Post-Test 2, the OT-DI group showed a statistically significant reduction in real-world speeding (p = .05).
• Both interventions suggested reductions in real-world speeding, violations, and crashes, with OT-DI showing a 23% decrease in violations and 25% in crashes, and TSE showing a 46% decrease in violations and 50% in crashes.

Conclusions:

• The Occupational Therapy Driving Intervention (OT-DI) shows early evidence of efficacy in improving real-world driving abilities and safety in Veterans.
• Both OT-DI and TSE interventions demonstrate potential for enhancing fitness-to-drive, with OT-DI exhibiting superior performance in reducing specific driving errors.