Suffering from brain damage, they test themselves before (re) driving

“You have to have your eye everywhere”. Installed behind a steering wheel, with three screens in front of him, a young Toulouse man takes his marks in the driving simulator installed in the training center of the Union Cépière-Robert Monnier association, which supports 1,200 people per year in their training project. professional reintegration in the agglomeration.

If this tool made its entry a few years ago in driving schools, here it has been used since January to assess people suffering from brain injuries, taken care of by the specialized unit of the center. “Among the people we see, some have had an accident of their lives, whether it is a stroke or a head injury. They find themselves with restrictions, in particular that of no longer being able to drive or no longer being able to do so because of an invalidated license, ”explains Claude Guillevic, who coordinates the specialized platform.

Evaluate braking time

Because after a stroke, the legislative framework requires patients to undergo a medical check-up by a licensed doctor to determine whether they are fit to get back behind the wheel. However, for some of them, having a permit may be imperative in their plan to return to work. “The simulator helps us to evaluate their reaction, the braking time, their behavior in situation. It also allows people to regain self-confidence after ten stops driving or to get them used to the automatic transmission, ”emphasizes Anthony Bacqué, neuropsychologist at the center.

The latter can thus test their ability to anticipate an accident, work on their reaction time and help them compensate for their handicap. This device can also push people with brain injuries to realize that they are no longer able to get back on the road. For the time being, six people have been able to test themselves on the simulator, partly funded by the Vinci Autoroutes foundation, including an employee, a trainer in driving men in yellow on the motorway network, bringing his experience in risk prevention.