Driving is something many people take for granted. It is considered an “instrumental activity of daily living (IADL)” (Classen et al., 2014). “Driving contributes to health and quality of life by supporting independence, a sense of identity, social participation, and access to health services and the community” (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2010, p. S112). Being able to drive is based on several required skills such as “appropriate integration of visual, cognitive, perceptual, and motor skills in a dynamic environment, while maintaining control of the vehicle” (Classen et al., 2014, p. 176). These skills can very easily be compromised in “combat veterans with war related injuries” (Classen et al., 2014 p. 176). I have experienced the impact of war-related injuries on driving. A family friend was a victim of posttraumatic stress disorder. He re-experienced the trauma that he survived during random moments. This occurred while I was in the car with him. We were both safe and neither of us was hurt, but the situation could have been worse. Because of this, has restricted his driving, often staying home and excluding himself from social events. This article interests me, because an occupational therapy driving intervention may benefit him. It may help him resume driving, and maybe make less mistakes while driving, allowing him to be more socially engaged. There are more and more soldiers who come back to civilian life with issues such as posttraumatic disorder and traumatic brain injury. According to Friedman, one in eight returning soldiers suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder (Associated Press, 2004). This excludes the many other injuries that soldiers can have that can lead to mental health concerns. Given that driving is such a prevalent part of daily routine, it is likely that these injuries may influence driving and may contribute to traffic accidents and associated injuries. An occupational therapy driving intervention that is effective in addressing this problem, as supported by research, should be an option for returning soldiers with these symptoms. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (2010), our job is to optimize independence in the ability to drive, and reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities. As a health care practitioner, it is our job to be looking for more methods, strategies, and interventions that can help our patients. Combat veterans and wounded soldiers who are having trouble with getting back to normal civilian life are an important group. If there is a method out there that has a chance of solving any of these problems, it should be studied and implemented. As mentioned, driving is a very important part of a person’s life. The elimination of driving really affects how a person lives on a day-to-day basis. In the future of health care, I think that more and more methods will surface. They will be studied, and if they can help our patients, I think that we will be using them with our patients.

Tatyana Lyubezhanina

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