Brake response time between male drivers with and without paraplegia: Association between sociodemographic, motor and neurological characteristics.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the brake response time of drivers with paraplegia (who use hand control) with drivers without paraplegia (who use their feet) in a virtual driving simulator brake test. Additionally, we aimed to predict and evaluate the association of virtual brake response time with sociodemographic, motor and cognitive variables.Methods: 40 male adult drivers, with paraplegia (n = 20, mean age 38.1 ± 3.6 years) and without paraplegia (n = 20, mean age 38.0 ± 5.8 years), with valid driver licenses, had their brake response time evaluated in an automatic transmission car simulator. Non-disabled drivers were tested with conventional foot controls, while paraplegic drivers used hand controls. Drivers with paraplegia performed simple, choice and go/no-go reaction time tests as neuropsychological evaluations. Student's t-test was used to examine the differences of driving simulator brake response time between groups. Pearson coefficient verified the correlation of driving simulator brake response time with years of driving, length of disability, handgrip strength and neuropsychological tests of the paraplegic drivers. A regression model was developed to describe the mean of driving simulator brake response time using the backward elimination method for model adjustment selecting the explanatory variables.Results: Differences of simulator brake response time between groups were not statistically significant (non-paraplegic drivers = 0.90 seconds; paraplegic drivers = 0.92 seconds, p > 0.05). Years of driving significantly correlates with brake response time of paraplegic driver (r= -58, p = 0.009). Linear regression analyses indicated that years of schooling and years of driving (explanatory variables) explained 60.2% of driving simulator brake response time for the drivers with paraplegia. Driving simulator brake response time showed no difference between drivers with and without paraplegia. Years of driving and schooling were the main predictors of braking performance in drivers with paraplegia measured in a driving simulator.