[Multiple sclerosis and prerequisites for driver's licence. A retrospective study of 33 patients with multiple...

There is increasing interest in assessing the prerequisites for a driver's licence among patients with traumatic brain injury, cerebrovascular accidents and other diseases of the central nervous system which cause cognitive impairments. In the present study, 33 patients with multiple sclerosis, 20 females and 13 males of mean age 43 years, were medically and neuropsychologically examined, and some were assessed in a practical driving test. In total, 19 patients were allowed to drive and 14 were refused. Regression analysis showed that, when deciding for or against driving, cognitive and emotional deficits were given more weight than duration of illness and degree of neurologic deficit. The authors discuss guidelines for assessing the prerequisites for a driver's licence among patients with multiple sclerosis, and indicators for when assessment is warranted.