Driving and Community Mobility

The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) affirms the role of occupational therapy practitioners1 in addressing community mobility as an instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) essential for the health and well-being of individuals and for the effective functioning of systems and organizations dedicated to keeping humans mobile within society. Furthermore, AOTA recognizes that driving in particular is a critical component of community mobility in the context of living within an industrialized nation and asserts that occupational therapy practitioners are poised to address driving at various levels to evaluate and intervene relative to individual performance as well as contribute to the overall health and safety of the public.

The purpose of this statement is to define driving and community mobility from an occupational perspective, outline the role of occupational therapy in driving and community mobility, and situate the profession of occupational therapy in collaboration with other professions and organizations working toward safe and effective community mobility. The primary audience for this paper is occupational therapy practitioners, but it may also prove useful to stakeholders outside of the profession, including service recipients, related professionals, and the general public.

Throughout the lifespan, community mobility contributes to health and quality of life by supporting independence, social connectedness, a sense of identity, and access to health services and the community (Oxley & Whelan, 2008; Satariano et al., 2012). Within the context of industrialized nations such as the United States, driving in particular is linked to personal freedom and independence, and the inability to drive as well as the loss of the driving privilege are characterized by increased risk for social isolation, depression, and loneliness (Curl, Stowe, Cooney, & Proulx, 2014; Liddle, Reaston, Pachana, Mitchell, & Gustafsson, 2014).

Driving and community mobility are included within the domain of occupational therapy (AOTA, 2014b) and in the profession's Scope of Practice (AOTA, 2014c) as an IADL. Subsequently, all services in the realm of driving rehabilitation and community mobility are covered under typical malpractice insurance. Occupational therapy practitioners can further reduce liability risks through implementation of best practices, clear communication, thorough documentation, and limitation of practice to tasks within one's trained skill set (Pierce, 2009). Appendix A illustrates some of the aspects of driving and community mobility within the domain of occupational therapy practice...