This report has been commissioned by the National Road Administration, Western Sweden, and forms part of the project entitled "Evaluation of the importance of the vehicle in rehabilitation of spinal cord injuries". The aim of the report is to analyse what has been done, what is being done and what needs to be done in order to meet the transport needs of car drivers with spinal cord injuries. The report describes current knowledge in Sweden, as well as internationally. Persons who suffer a serious spinal cord injury lose a large part of their mobility. Many can regain a considerable portion of their mobility and independence through the ability to drive a car. A decisive factor is that the vehicle must be adapted for satisfactory safety, comfort and security. Although most experience of assessing, training and vehicle adaptation relates to car drivers with impaired mobility, much remains to be done to improve their situation. There is nothing to indicate that this group has a different accident involvement compared to other drivers, but the knowledge is very insufficient and there are no recent Swedish investigations available. It is also frequently the case that these drivers limit their use of the car since it is too laborious to drive. A probable reason is that vehicle adaptations do not always meet demands on safety, comfort and security. The requirements in both registration and annual inspections are poorly specified. There is reason to consider a sharpening of the requirements on vehicles adapted for the disabled. Vehicle grants are of very great importance for most persons with functional disabilities, but there is no study showing the decisiveness of such support. Research should also be carried out to determine whether the Social Insurance Offices should administer these grants. One proposal is for the National Road Administration to take over the responsibility, partly because it has general responsibility for the transport possibilities of persons with functional disabilities and partly because this would reduce the number of departments involved in driving licence and vehicle matters concerning persons with functional disabilities. The National Road Administration is an expert body concerning vehicles and drivers and should be utilised better in this respect. At the same time, a study should be made of the possibilities of establishing special centres of competence to which persons with functional disabilities could turn for help and support. Resources should also be put into studying how the introduction of intelligent transport system (ITS) can change the situation of drivers with impaired mobility. The technology entails both major potentials and risks. If the needs and resources of those with functional disabilities are neglected both in regard to services and technology, there is a risk of leaving out groups which could benefit greatly from the changes. In the worst case, they could become even more handicapped in the traffic environment. (A)
Abstract