January 1 - Driving Blind

Before I start writing, I want to apologise for not sending out Christmas wishes to everyone who reads this blog. About a week before Christmas, Lyle and I came down with bad winter colds – colds that totally sapped our energy. I am just glad that as 2018 begins I can wish you all a Happy New Year. Thank you for continuing to read White Cane Connections.

Last time I wrote, I titled the post Blind Navigators. Today I want to address the issue of blind drivers. Yes, there are definitely drivers out there who simply should not be behind the wheel and on the road.

Giving up one’s driver’s license is one of the more difficult decisions facing people whose vision changes in adulthood. I know that for me, not being able to drive any more was a real loss of independence. I remember crying when I sold my car and the buyer drove away in it. Interestingly, it wasn’t my doctor or ophthalmologist who had directed the decision that I couldn’t drive. Perhaps they just presumed that I would be sensible enough to make the decision on my own and indeed that is what happened.

My beef today is that I know of people who don’t see well and yet are still driving. For instance, I know one woman who drives the back country roads because as she says, “I don’t see well enough to drive on the highway.” I asked this acquaintance just how she would feel if she hit someone or something on those country roads because she didn’t see them in time. Is driving really worth that risk? I think not, but I suspect that this woman is not alone in her outlook.

Who then has the final say in taking away a driver’s license? It is too easy for someone with sight challenges to bluff and not reveal the whole truth to a local doctor. I know that many people with diminished sight tend to bluff when it comes to seeing. I have done this myself. When it comes to driving though, bluffing is not the best option. If doctors don’t make the decision, family members are often put in a difficult position if the visually impaired driver is being unreasonable. It is certainly too late if and when the police are called to the site of an accident – an accident which could have been avoided if the partially sighted driver hadn’t been so stubborn about continuing to drive.

I would still like to drive but the opportunities to do so are fairly limited. I would never risk sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle where I could endanger life and limb of anyone else. My latest driving experience was in Disneyland. I loved driving the little cars there. The cars themselves follow a track and with Lyle sitting beside me telling me when to press the gas pedal and when to steer left or right, we both felt relatively safe. I must admit it was still rather a jerky stop and start ride.

The three pictures below were taken on that day. The first two show me behind the wheel and you can see the size of the mini Disney car. In the third picture, I am laughing in delight at the driving experience. It’s likely a better experience than drivers in Alberta are having today where the temperature is nearly thirty degrees below zero.

Sue driving a mini Disney car

Sue driving a mini Disney car

Sue laughing about driving a mini Disney car