A growing body of researching is focusing on what happens to New Jersey veterans when they return to civilian life. The transition back to normal life can be hard and many veterans report having difficulty driving safely upon returning. There are some researchers who believe that the dangerous driving habits exhibited by veterans could be due to post traumatic stress disorder or brain injuries. New treatments are being explored to help reduce the number of veteran car accidents throughout the country.

One returning veteran said that she sold her Mustang before going into service but that she has no plans on buying another one because driving has become such an ordeal for her.

"Why get a hot car?" she said. "I'm not going to enjoy it. My whole driving behavior changed. I live in a state of anxiety when I'm driving."

The anxiety can be related to the fact that driving in war zones is an extremely risky endeavor that requires hyper vigilance which is unsustainable for regular driving. The basic assumptions made while driving in a war zone are also drastically different than what is appropriate for regular driving.

"In an ambiguous situation, they are more likely to see hostile intent," said one psychologist who works with veterans.

It is unclear how widespread the problem is, but surveys indicate that veterans exhibit dangerous driving habits upon returning. One survey found that a third of veterans reported driving dangerously after their last tour and that a quarter of veterans ran stop signs.

"I can't talk with somebody who is a returned service member without them telling me about driving issues," one researcher said.

Source: New York Times, "Back From War, Fear and Danger Fill Driver's Seat," James Dao, Jan. 10, 2012