Table 4 Illustrative quotes for Theme 3 – The burden of non-obvious disability

P1 (70–74 years, whiplash)

‘I also don’t drive a car anymore. I’m just paranoid about driving a car and I won’t sit in the back of a car’.

P5 (70–74 years, leg injuries)

‘I was scared when my husband was driving. I don’t know whether it was me or - I don’t know … I was quite scared’.

P7 (65–69 years, mild traumatic brain injury)

‘I really don’t like thinking about it, you know. It’s had a psychological impact … quite probably a significant psychological impact’.

P8 (75–79 years, head injury, arm movement limitation)

‘Oh, one of the things that’s really important and I don’t know why or anything but since the injury my right shoulder, I can’t lift my arms very well. Yeah, that didn’t appear to be injured in the accident’.

P12 (65–69 years, fractured sternum, whiplash, psychological impact)

‘When I came home, I had a bit of stiffness in my neck … I didn’t really worry about it too much... I thought no, my neck will settle down. But I found over the last two years it’s [my neck] gradually getting worse’.