On-road driving behaviour characteristics of patients with brain injury

Abstract

To clarify the characteristics of automobile driving performance in patients with brain injury, 26 patients (patient group) and 26 driving instructors (control group) were evaluated via an on-road driving assessment. On-road driving performance was evaluated using an event data recorder, driving analysis software, and a video-based driving assessment scale. The number of unsafe driving events, the score on the driving analysis software, and the score on the driving assessment scale were then compared between the two groups. The patient group had 12 unsafe events (7 braking, 4 acceleration, 1 curving), but the instructors only had two sudden braking events, both of which were to avoid a collision when another vehicle forcibly entered from outside the roadway. In the case of the driving analysis software, the patient group showed significantly lower scores for braking (P<0.05) and steering (P<0.05) than the control group. On the driving assessment scale, the patient group scored significantly lower for checking their blind spot during a lane change (P<0.01) and being aware of pedestrians at an intersection (P<0.01) than the control group. These objective video and g-force-generated on-road driving assessments may provide important information regarding driving and advice for patients with brain injury.