According to the authors this is the first book on driver rehabilitation. It certainly is the first comprehensive book on this subject. The multi-authored book gives an almost exhaustive coverage of functional and activity limitations affecting driving, and how these limitations can be assessed and compensated given the state of the art in the various disciplines involved.

The introductory chapters (Part I) include the history of technical car adaptations, featuring a photograph of judge Quentin D. Corley's adapted Ford T-model and a critical discussion of the dominant role of the automobile in American culture. Also the various approaches and disciplines involved in driver rehabilitation are introduced.
Part II is named Measuring Driving Potential Before Hitting the Road and comprises chapters about the adapted driving decision guide, about the clinical evaluation and about determing fitness to drive -neuropsychological and psychological considerations.
In the latter chapter the paradigm shift in the field of driving assessment is well presented. It is not anymore about selecting fit or unfit drivers but rather about exploring strong and weak points in an individual's driving competence, so that rehabilitation tools to compensate the weak points can be selected. Seemingly at odds with this, in the chapter also a need for standardization is expressed. As a solution, "customization" of the driving evaluation, depending on the subgroup of drivers the client belongs to, is proposed. This could be a good solution if the number of subgroups distinguished is limited.
Part II also contains chapters about the effects of medications,about the impact of positioning and mobilty devices on driving and community mobility and finally, about driving simulators. The latter chapter is added because driving simulators have great potential as a part of driver evaluation, intervention , and general occupational therapy evaluation and intervention. As the more realistic driving simulators often have simulator sickness as a side effect, also useful advice is given on preventing and managing this.

Part III is named Measuring and Improving Driving Performance. It comprises a chapter about preparing for the on-road evaluation. This chapter presents the primary steps a Driver Rehabilitation Specialist (DRS) takes when preparing for the on-road evaluation and training, selecting and assembling a vehicle that is closest to meeting the client's actual needs and giving the client an opportunity to test drive the mocked-up vehicle on the road.
In the next chapter on-road driver evaluation is discussed. There is much emphasis on methodology and standardization. As in the neuropsychological chapter mentioned above, also in this chapter it is observed that there may be tension between the goal of dealing sensitively and effectively with each client and, on the other hand, the goal of ensuring that everyone is evaluated in a reliable way. Also it is discussed whether the on-road assessment should be made in comparison to a common standard (e.g. entry-level licence test criteria) or relative to a criterion group matched with the driver subgroup represented by the client (e.g. older drivers and drivers with the same functional limitation who have a good safety record). Following this general methodological discourse, specific evaluation issues with regard to visual functional limitations, including the use of bioptic telescopes are presented.
In the next chapter key issues are introduced that should be considered when devising and implementing a driver rehabilitation and training program. Also, in this chapter there is due appreciation of individual differences between drivers, e,g, in terms of driving experience and comorbidity. It is correctly observed that a lot of interventions are in use but that there are few peer-reviewed published studies relevant to driver training and rehabilitation techniques of either a descrciptive or experimental type.

Part IV is called Documentation and Funding. The authors of the chapter on documentation refering to the old saying " if it is not documented, then it did not happen" . They argue that the establishment of a test protocol (e.g. policy and procedure) for report writing is the most important step to ensure that a driver rehabilitation specialist will produce well-prepared documentation. The chapter also provides a template and suggestions for content that can be used for generating a driver rehabilitation documentation protocol. The next chapter, on funding, addresses the issue that driver rehabilitation services and equipment are inaccessible to a large percentage of prospective clients because they lack the necessary financial resources. Especially for the USA, legal bases and the pros and cons of various funding sources are discussed. Also important advice is given about effective terminology and argumentation ina pproaching institutions and finding funding.

Part V is named Environmental Factors Impacting Drivers, Passengers, and Pedestrians. Following the systems approach implicit in the book as a whole, ergonomic design features of the automobile and the infrastructure are discussed in chapters 16 ,19 and 22 respectively. Other chapters in this heterogenous part part address wheelchair and occupant restraints for safety and crash protection, in-vehicle intelligent transport systems, driver rehabilitation for recreation and leisure, and driving cessation and alternative community mobility. One theme of this particularly comprehensive chapter is that transportation is a basic human need. Maintaining safety and mobility is the greatest challenge for those involved in the driving cessation process.

Part VI is titled Professional Ethics and Evidence-Based Driver Rehabilitation Practice. The objective of the chapter on legal and professional ethics is to give an understanding of the legal and ethical issues and dilemma's which driver rehabilitation specialists face in the various states and provinces of the USA and Canada. Living in a country which is not (yet) so permeated by the fear of financial claims, I wonder whether such a climate might lead to a very conservative rehabilitation policy, e.g. rather reporting a right hemisphere stroke patient with signs of hemi-neglect, who drives than including him in a driver rehabilitation program with uncertain outcome. To balance a possible safety bias, it might be an idea for clients to claim against persons who have taken initiative in getting a licence suspended, e.g. when they become depressed or have to move to sheltered housing because of the loss of the licence.
The next chapter, titled "Research- and Evidence-Based Practice in Driver Rehabilitation", emphasizes the need for good applied scientific research in the area, discusses various approaches and research models which could be fruitfully used,  and gives sound methodological advice to use when developing assessment methods.
The chapter about "Emergent Functional Brain Imaging and driver Rehabilitation" which follows is a nice surprise. The authors have recognized the potential importance of brain imaging to predict and assess the effectiveness of rehabilitation and inform the reader about the current state of the art in various neuro-imaging modalities and how they work; they illustrate the application of these techniques in the evaluation of driving competence during the rehabilitation process.
Chapter 26 is an organisational chapter titled "Developing a Driver Rehabilitation Program". An important part of the chapter concerns the development of a business plan involving analysis of clients, needs and referrral sources. Then, program delivery models are discussed, going from clinical assessment only to models including simulator assessments and in-vehicle evaluations. Subsequemtly profiles of the specialist staff required are discussed and also entreperneurial and liability and legal issues are touched upon. It may be read as a checklist and blueprint with regard to setting up and managing a driver rehabilitation program.

From page 539 on the book comprises a glossary of the concepts used in the book and numerous appendices including (US) state driver licencing requirements and reporting laws, codes of ethics and standards of practice, continuing education in driver rehabilitation and educational materials. Also included is counseling advice with regard to the patient who is no longer safe to drive and a reprint of the policy of the American Medical Association with regard to the "legal and ethical responsabilities of the physician" with regard to driving decisions.

The book is very comprehensive. The editorial policy must have been to include everything which might be relevant so that the book and CD-Rom can serve as a background library for a Driver Rehabilitation Program and could serve as course material for an advanced course in the continuous education of occupational therapists.
As is natural for this approach is that a choice has been made for width rather than for depth. As a consequence it is not difficult to find flaws or overgeneralizations in areas where one has specific expertise, in my case clinical neuropsychology. Basically it is impossible to draw any direct conclusion about a functional limitation from a neuropsychological or any other behavioural test score. A test result must always be interpreted in the light of other information, including medical information, test profile, age and education. From this perspective a statement like "a government study suggested that a timed score of 100 seconds on the Trails B subtest would indicate a need for further testing of driving perfromance because it correlated with increased crash risk (p. 114)" is amusing. Unfortunately, it can also be dangerous because of a the implicit agism in using such absolute cut-off scores, even for screening. A score of 100s on Trail B is in the 69th percentile of a healthy 70 years old norm group (Dutch norms; Schmand & De Koning, 2003, n=342, 17-87 years), so uncritically applying what is said here would send the great majority of older drivers into a completely unnecessary and potentially harmful assessment procedure. Another example is the erroneous equalization of homonymous hemianopia (HH) with neglect (p. 132). This is an error very frequently made in rehabilitation, probably caused by the fact that the two disorderes frequently co-occur and because many patients with HH have ineffective scanning strategies, which can lead to neglect-like symptoms.
In spite of such criticism, I am very enthousiastic about the book and the initiatives and positive thinking about compensating functional limitations behind it. Also the inclusion of a CD-Rom with relevant documents and procedures and links to American information on the web is a strong feature. Chapter authors are from the USA, Canada and Australia. Apart from language barriers, this is no coincidence, as in these countries older drivers with functional limitations already form a substantial proportion of the driver population because of the early start of mass motorization. This book gives an inside view on the state of the art of managing the older driver challenge in a generally humane, be it slightly paternalistic way.
Learning about these experiences is also very useful for readers in countries where mass motorization has started later. It will allow them to be prepared for the older traffic participation challenge and to adjust the evidence presented in the book to their own situation. I deliberately write "traffic participation" in stead of "driving" because it may be that the case of public transport and (individualized) special transport is less weak than in the above mentioned countries. In this context it may be appropriate to end with a citation from chapter 21 where the authors (Eby, Molnar and Pellerito) conclude with stating that if accessible, acceptable, adaptable, and affordable alternate transportation options were available, most of the issues surrounding the reduction and cessation of driving would be ameliorated (p. 446).