After a Stroke, How Long Should You Wait to Drive?

Just three simple tests, which take a total of 15 minutes in a doctor's office, can help stroke sufferers determine when they can safely drive again. Consumer Reports reports that researchers in a study (in a recent issue of Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology) analyzed 1,728 stroke victims with an average age of 61. The studies involved three assessments about nine months after the stroke and they included a road-sign recognition test, assessing traffic knowledge and visual comprehension, a compass test, examining visual-perceptual skill and mental speed and a trail-making test, measuring visual-motor tracking and visual scanning abilities.

Those who scored low (below 8.5 out of 12 on the road sign test and 25 out of 32 on the compass test, and those who took more than 90 seconds to finish the trail-making test) were more likely to fail on-road evaluations. The tests also correctly classified 85 percent of drivers who failed the on-road test.

"People who've had a stroke should talk with their doctor about the tests," says Orly Avitzur, M.D., a neurologist and medical adviser to Consumer Reports. "If necessary, they should ask for a referral to neuropsychologist or occupational therapist experienced in giving them."

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