For thousands of combat veterans, driving has become an ordeal. Once their problems were 
viewed mainly as a form of road rage or thrill seeking. But increasingly, erratic driving by returning troops is being identified as a symptom of traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder, or P.T.S.D. — and coming under greater scrutiny amid concerns about higher accident rates among veterans.
The New York Times today discusses how P.T.S.D. is affecting the driving effectiveness of returning service members. Image by Max Whittaker for The NY Times
The Pentagon and Department of Veterans Affairs are also supporting several new studies into potential links between deployment and dangerously aggressive or overly defensive driving. The Veterans Affairs health center in Albany last year started a seven-session program to help veterans identify how war experiences might trigger negative reactions during driving. And researchers in Palo Alto are developing therapies — which they hope to translate into iPhone apps — for people with P.T.S.D. who are frequently angry or anxious behind the wheel.
Read more about assistance for returning service members here:
Back From War, Fear and Danger Fill Driver’s Seat, Byline: James Dao, January 10, 2012
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