Returning to school, sports, and driving: why each needs its own assessment

Driving has the least formal guidance of the three. Authors of a study of teen drivers wrote that standardized return to driving guidelines are missing [12]. They urged providers to include driving when they talk with families after an injury [12]. The CDC tells doctors to be cautious about allowing a return to driving, especially when attention, processing speed or reaction time are affected [8].

When symptoms fade before driving skills do

Two small studies from the same research group suggest driving can lag behind how a person feels. In a 2017 study, 14 young adults with a concussion drove a simulator within 48 hours of their symptoms clearing [3]. Compared with 14 matched drivers, they wandered out of their lane more often, most of all on curves [3]. The authors concluded that driving problems may last past the point when people go back to driving [3].

A 2025 study tested 43 college students within a week of a concussion and 46 students without one [4]. Their total symptom scores did not relate to how they drove in a simulator [4]. A test of doing two tasks at once, and a test built around a complex drawing, were linked to driving results [4]. The authors noted that most clinics do not have the expertise or equipment to assess driving [4].

These studies were small, involved young adults, and used simulators. They cannot tell you exactly when you will be safe to drive. They do suggest that feeling fine is only one piece of the answer.

What teens tend to do

A Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia study looked at 332 drivers aged 16 to 19 who were seen, on average, 12 days after a concussion [12]. Nearly half (47%) had already gone back to driving [12]. Among those drivers, 79% were back at school. But only 28% had resumed exercise and 11% were playing an organized sport [12]. Three out of five of the teens who were driving said nothing had changed in how they drove [12]. Teens who did cut back on driving had higher symptom scores [12].

Those numbers suggest that driving often comes first, ahead of sports and exercise, even though no step by step driving plan exists. A teen who is not yet cleared for a jog may already be merging onto a highway.

Easing back in

If your care team agrees you can drive, start small. A brain injury rehabilitation fact sheet suggests limiting conditions at first, such as driving when there is less traffic [5]. Short, familiar trips are a sensible place to begin. Skip the drive on days when you are tired, have a headache, or have taken a medicine that makes you sleepy.

For crash survivors, getting back behind the wheel can stir up fear or stress. Tell your care team if that happens, because it can affect both your comfort and your safety on the road.