Learning to drive after a spinal cord injury

Can people with a spinal cord injury drive? The answer to this question depends on many factors such as the severity and type of injury, related symptoms.

In some occasions it is possible for these patients to be able to drive as usual while an adapted car is needed to drive in other cases. The silver lining is that there is no need to buy a new car since the former one can be adapted.

It may seem obvious but it is important to remember not to take any medication before driving which could compromise our driving ability such as painkillers.

There are several ways to adapt a car according to the type of motor skills the patient has lost after the injury. In this post we will deal with the most common adjustments for a car for people with a spinal cord injury.

Car adjustments to drive with a spinal cord injury

One of the most common adjustments is to control the break and the accelerator with the hands. In the same way as a plane can be manually control to break or accelerate, easy-to-reach mechanical controllers can be installed in a car so that the person can break or accelerate manually. Driving with a spinal cord injury is possible thanks to these adjustments.

Another way to adapt a car is to install an electronic steering wheel so that it can be controlled with only one hand. In this case, the steering wheel could be controlled with one hand and the speed controllers with the other.

There are also certain ways to adapt a car so that the person can learn to drive after the injury. For example, there are adapted levers for those who have lost the sensation in the fingers but this is just one way to adapt a car among the available options in the market.

If the person had a driving license before the injury, he/she does not have to retake the theory exam. However, he/she shall take the practical driving exam again on an adapted car.

In any case, we should bear in mind that the person should become familiar with the new car adjustments and to understand the difference in driving an adapted car since the driving style changes.