A review of existing research into driving behaviours after brain injury has been conducted by a team of researchers. The review found that brain injury participants show more tactical driving errors (errors with planning, judgement, decision-making) compared to non-injured participants in both simulator and on-road assessments.
A scoping review yielded 36 articles following extensive screening, with 23 studies using driving simulators while 20 used on-road assessments (7 studies used both). Driving errors among brain injury survivor participants were examined and compared against non-injured participants. Fail and pass group errors were also examined.
Errors were classified according to Michon’s driving hierarchical framework (operational level, tactical level, strategic level).
Tactical errors found included car distance error, lane position change error, signal anticipation error, speed adaptation error and visual scanning error, with many tactical errors being related to environmental awareness. Fewer operational errors were found, though this included car control error, unsafe behaviour at roundabouts and failing to make a complete stop.
The research adds to the body of evidence regarding driving ability after brain injury and highlights common driving errors found among brain injury survivors undertaking driving tests.
For more information on the research, visit www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699052.2026.2617467#d1e2216.
See our Driving after brain injury publication for more guidance on this issue.
Reference: Kubota, J., Tiwari, A., Kaneko, T., Lodha, N., & Sotokawa, T. (2026). Driving behavior in simulator and on-road assessments in brain injury and stroke: A scoping review. Brain Injury, 40(5).