Driving Impaired

For many adults, the ability to drive an automobile is one of the most important factors in ensuring quality of life.  Driving allows one to engage in a wide variety of life activities, including employment, family, social, and community activities that are central to one’s physical and emotional health, identity, happiness, and enjoyment of life.  But a concussion can cause a constellation of symptoms and deficits that can significantly impair our ability to drive.  Because driving can be so central to our lives, though, and because the symptoms and deficits caused by a concussion can be hard to observe and assess, we sometimes return to the road sooner than we should, putting ourselves, our passengers, and others on the road at risk.What is a concussion?A “concussion” is a type of traumatic brain injury - or TBI – usually caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head (direct impact).  In many cases of TBI, [...]