I AM disabled and am not able to stand or walk after my first and only car crash (caused by the car’s brakes failing) after a lifetime of driving.

I have lost my driving licence after a disabled driver’s test – of course I failed. I have double vision corrected by wearing glasses. An optician once told me that when wearing my glasses, my vision is 100 per cent. I wear glasses all day, every day. But this was not good enough for the previous disabled driving assessor, by the name of Adrian (I don’t remember his surname but I do know he took early retirement – the best thing he ever did).

I also have arthritis which has caused my spine to be fixed – I am not able to turn around.

I once had to go to hospital using hospital transport. I was amazed when the female driver reversed into a side road without turning around. Yes, she was using the mirrors. After we had stopped, I asked her about this. She told me that ambulance drivers are not allowed to turn around when reversing.

While thinking about this, I realise that hundreds of drivers, no thousands of drivers – no, in fact hundreds of thousands of drivers are not able to turn around to look behind. What about a car pulling a caravan? That driver cannot possibly see through his caravan to see behind. Then there are all the van drivers: most large vans have their rear windows painted in.

For some years, I drove a Volkwagen Caravannette. It is not possible to turn around to look behind when driving one of these. The driver has to learn how to reverse by using his mirrors. This I did soon after passing my test.

I had been driving like this without any crashes all my life. That is until, while on the M25, when my brakes failed and I crashed. This bruised my spinal cord and I was paralysed for 10 weeks. I then regained the use of my arms and hands and have been in a wheelchair since that day.

LAURENCE HICKMAN
Dark Lane
Witney







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