“You have to have your eye everywhere”. Installed behind a steering wheel, with three screens in front of him, a young Toulousain 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 professional reintegration project 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 life, whether it is a Stroke or head trauma. 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 obliges patients to undergo a medical check-up by a licensed physician to determine whether they are fit to resume driving. However, for some of them, having a license 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 injury to realize that they are no longer able to get back on the road. So far, six people have been able to test themselves on the simulator, partly funded by the Vinci Autoroutes Foundation, of which an employee, trainer in the conduct of the men in yellow of the motorway network, brings his experience in risk prevention.