Motor vehicle crashes and violations among drivers with multiple sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE To investigate differences in the incidence of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) and violations among drivers with multiple sclerosis (MS) when cognitive impairment is present. DESIGN Archival evaluation of Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) records. SETTING Medical rehabilitation research organization. PARTICIPANTS Community-dwelling drivers, 27 subjects with documented MS (14 MS without cognitive impairment [MS-], 13 MS with cognitive impairment [MS+]) and 17 healthy control subjects, matched on age, sex, and driving experience. INTERVENTIONS Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Incidence of MVCs and motor vehicle violations as documented by DMV reports for the past 5 years. RESULTS MS+ subjects showed a higher incidence of MVCs when compared with control and MS- subjects. No significant difference in the incidence of motor vehicle violations was observed between groups. CONCLUSIONS The presence of cognitive impairment in drivers with MS can result in an increased risk of MVC involvement.

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