Post-Combat Driving Causes Problems for Soldiers Returning Home
By: Katie Love
Updated: May 4, 2012
Research shows that some soldiers returning home from battle may find it hard to shake driving behaviors that kept them alive in combat.
As many veterans discover, those new techniques aren't always safe on U.S. roads.
"It's a difficult time to transition back," Sergeant Bill Johnson says. "You're not always looking for a bad guy."
Under the hot sun in Afghanistan, Sergeant Bill Johnson learned to always be aware of his surroundings and on high alert for impending danger.
Back on U.S. Soil his environment is different.
"If you get caught in traffic or you're in a crowd like a grocery store it can make you stop and say, I'm back here I don't need to be on guard," Johnson says.
Meanwhile Sergeant Michael Byers says he's seen the same thing. After a tour in Iraq, he says it took a while to realize driving from point A to point B isn't a race for your life and dead animals in the road -aren't likely to hide a bomb.
"That's what I had a lot of adjustment with obeying the stop signs and speed limits i had a lot of adjustments with," Byers says.
Ozark Center Vice President of Clinical Operations Del Camp says there's proof to back up what these soldiers have seen.
One study shows that 49% of soldiers were anxious when other cars approached them quickly and 25% had driven through stop signs during the first thirty days of returning home.
"The red flag went up because these are some of our most valuable citizens," Del Camp says. "These are folks have done everything they could do keep u safe and protected."
Camp adds while soldiers on the road do present some concern. Research shows there's more danger in people texting while driving or driving while intoxicated.
If you are a returning hero who feels anxious behind the wheel, Freeman's Ozark Center has several programs that can help.
You can reach them at 417-347-7600
