• 14
  • January
    2012

"I used to like driving. Now my family doesn't feel safe driving with me," says an Army reservist who did a combat tour in Iraq in 2007, as James Dao reports for the New York Times.

In an analysis conducted by the insurance industry, it turns out that car accidents caused by members of the armed services - after returning home from their deployments - went up by 13 percent.

There seem to be two extremes among service members who are having trouble driving: either they are very aggressive (behavior that could be characterized as "road rage") or they are very defensive and cautious.

Both extremes could lead to auto accidents.

What makes driving particularly difficult for today's veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as Dao reports, is that much of the combat involved driving itself, confronting roadside bombs.

"I can't talk with somebody who is a returned service member without them telling me about driving issues," says a professor who is studying these very issues.

Source: Back From War, Fear and Danger Fill Driver's Seat