A recently concluded report on traumatic spinal cord injuries (SCI) and driving is presented. The purpose of the report was to reveal What has been done, What is currently done and What should be done in the future to support SCI drivers' mobility through improved car adaptations. SCI has a prevalence of about 13 injuries per million inhabitants. In Sweden more than 100 persons will annually be involved in an accident causing severe paresis and reduced mobility. Two groups of SCI can be distinguished: paraplegia (lower limb paresis) and quadriplegia (upper and lower limb paresis). If a lesion is located below fourth cervical vertebral (C4), chances are good for the SCI patient to drive with the right adaptation. Drivers with disabilities do not seem to have a different traffic accident involvement compared to other drivers but our knowledge is very limited. There is a need to develop improved assessment procedures that consider crashworthiness but also useability, comfort and trust from the driver's view. The procedure to obtain a driver's licence and access to an adapted car is currently too complex. In-car ITS applications can, rightly applied, improve mobility of SCI drivers but can also turn out to be another obstacle to overcome. For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD E117882.
Abstract