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Driving
Sept 10, 2009 19:42:41 GMT -7
Post by mom2noble on Sept 10, 2009 19:42:41 GMT -7
So I was wondering how all of you drive. Particularly if you have a right leg prosthetic. Just wondering...Planning ahead for my little man
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Driving
Sept 10, 2009 20:34:54 GMT -7
Post by jmoore on Sept 10, 2009 20:34:54 GMT -7
hi mom2noble my name is jeff been a rak for almost 3 years now the VA gave me some options i could use one was hand controls or a left foot gas pedal thats what i went with its a nice set up in my truck if my kids or wife want to drive the rig they just pull a pin and it comes out and just as easy putting in i checked with my insurance they said if i did not put in some type of controls and i got into a accident they would not cover it plus dmv in oregon made me take a driving test with the left foot pedal its now on my license i know alot of rak do not use anything just there left leg i bet if they checked with there insurance they would be told what i got told good luck and how was his first few days of school good i hope
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Driving
Sept 11, 2009 4:34:08 GMT -7
Post by oneblueleg on Sept 11, 2009 4:34:08 GMT -7
I've been a RAK for twenty five years plus, I've just always used standard auotmatic cars using my left foot.
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Driving
Sept 11, 2009 4:53:15 GMT -7
Post by snowyh on Sept 11, 2009 4:53:15 GMT -7
Hi, Noble's Mom. I'm an arm amp, but before I got cruise control on my vehicle I used to alternate using my left and right foot when taking long road trips. It was quite easy training the left foot to feel comfortable on the gas & brake pedals, and the right foot didn't get in the way. I've only tried it in vehicles w/automatic transmission, though. Using a clutch may be a little tricky.
Helen
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Driving
Sept 13, 2009 5:58:12 GMT -7
Post by bluedogz on Sept 13, 2009 5:58:12 GMT -7
I was able to get a lot of what I needed on my Toyota as new, but I'm RAE so that's different. For me, I focused on the steering wheel controls for radio, A/C, etc. so I don't have to keep reaching across the dashboard.
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Driving
Sept 21, 2009 19:26:28 GMT -7
Post by mom2noble on Sept 21, 2009 19:26:28 GMT -7
these are great reply's! i have a good amount of years left, about 10 to be exact I like to know what I am up against! Thanks! Holly
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Driving
Sept 22, 2009 14:02:01 GMT -7
Post by pyourke on Sept 22, 2009 14:02:01 GMT -7
I'm a BAK and use 'Sure Grip' hand controls. I've use different types, but find them the easiest and least tiring ones on the hand.
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Driving
Sept 24, 2009 12:59:51 GMT -7
Post by stonecutter on Sept 24, 2009 12:59:51 GMT -7
As a LBK, I was surprised to receive a letter from the government of Alberta about three months after I lost my leg ordering me to retake my drivers licence road test in order to prove that I could still drive my 1981 Chrysler LeBaron.
I made my appointment, and showed up at my allotted time, took the examiner for a drive and just about failed my drivers test. It seems that I thought he was there to see if I could drive as normally as anyone else. He was under the impression that I was taking my test for the first time, because he marked me as hard as he would have if I was sixteen years old again.
The end result was that I squeaked by, and ended up with a special restriction attached to my licence stating that I am only authorized to drive an automatic transmission vehicle unless I retake the road test in a standard vehicle. It's been over fifteen years now since, and I haven't felt the need to drive a standard.
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Driving
Sept 25, 2009 1:00:48 GMT -7
Post by allenuk on Sept 25, 2009 1:00:48 GMT -7
Over here there's no restrictions on leg amps driving - you have to tell the DVLA (UK driving authority), and they change your licence to 'automatic' only.
Not sure how arm amps get on. Do you have special devices to let you use the controls without taking your hand(s) off the wheel?
Allen, bka, London.
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Driving
Sept 25, 2009 3:13:16 GMT -7
Post by ann- on Sept 25, 2009 3:13:16 GMT -7
Over here there's no restrictions on leg amps driving - you have to tell the DVLA (UK driving authority), and they change your licence to 'automatic' only. Not sure how arm amps get on. Do you have special devices to let you use the controls without taking your hand(s) off the wheel? Allen, bka, London. I think it depends on individual circumstances Allen. For example, as a bilateral b/k amputee I am required to drive on hand controls as specified on my driving licence itself. Some leg amps, depending on what side, etc. do drive manuals with some adaptation, some, auto's with pedals changed round etc., some need no changes, it all depends on your level or side of amputation. Arm amps drive also, there is now a wide range of adaptations for driving available. Anyone, in England, who wants to get advice can go for assessment and at the various Driver assessment centres dotted around the country who work in conjunction with motability and the DVLA. You are required though to let the DVLA know about disabilities, health conditions etc. Ann
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Driving
Sept 25, 2009 3:54:55 GMT -7
Post by oneblueleg on Sept 25, 2009 3:54:55 GMT -7
I'm not sure about that Allen, I think they may want you take a re-test in certain circumstances. My first car test was when I only had one leg and it was given twice the time because of it (not that I realised until the examiner said we needn't bother with the extra time allowed, 'let's go back to the test centre, I've seen enough' ;D) Over here there's no restrictions on leg amps driving - you have to tell the DVLA (UK driving authority), and they change your licence to 'automatic' only. Not sure how arm amps get on. Do you have special devices to let you use the controls without taking your hand(s) off the wheel? Allen, bka, London.
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Driving
Sept 25, 2009 4:16:12 GMT -7
Post by ann- on Sept 25, 2009 4:16:12 GMT -7
I'm not sure about that Allen, I think they may want you take a re-test in certain circumstances. My first car test was when I only had one leg and it was given twice the time because of it (not that I realised until the examiner said we needn't bother with the extra time allowed, 'let's go back to the test centre, I've seen enough' ;D) [/quote] Same with my driving Test OBL, though this was my first test and I was already a bilateral b/k, driving with hand controls. I recently went to a talk given by some people from a nearby Driving assessment Centre. From what they were saying, people who already drive who have lost a limb, gained a disability or whatever, go to the centre to be assessed on what their needs are regards driving and possible adaptions to cars. They are given a report and I think, if needed, are given names of driving instructors who can give them some lessons with the new adaptations or whatever, if needed. Don't remember any specifics said about retesting, but they said do work in conjunction with DVLA>
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Driving
Sept 25, 2009 6:40:14 GMT -7
Post by allenuk on Sept 25, 2009 6:40:14 GMT -7
I'd had my licence for donkeys before my amp, so maybe it's different in those circumstances - with me, it was just my duty to inform them, and they said fine.
Maybe left bka made a difference, i.e. no need for any mods.
A.
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Driving
Sept 26, 2009 2:25:38 GMT -7
Post by allenuk on Sept 26, 2009 2:25:38 GMT -7
Not really prosthetic-related, but maybe it is...
I've noticed that very few drivers shown on US TV programmes seem to wear seat-belts. What is the reality? I ask as it's been compulsory in the UK for about 30 years, and most people put on their belts (back seat too) in the same way they put on their lights when it gets dark, and, along with airbags, it's cut accident casualties by large amounts.
Allen.
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Driving
Sept 26, 2009 5:21:57 GMT -7
Post by bluedogz on Sept 26, 2009 5:21:57 GMT -7
Allen- it varies by state... here in Maryland where I live, my license was suspended immediately on my accident, and not reinstated until I did a new driving test with a specially-trained physical therapist to evaluate my ability. After that, though, my driver's license was unaffected.
As far as seat belts go, most states require them, but lots of people still don't wear them. I meet a lot of people who believe the myth that you might get trapped in the car or something, but I never understood that.
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Driving
Sept 26, 2009 16:20:16 GMT -7
Post by cherylm on Sept 26, 2009 16:20:16 GMT -7
Allen, on the seatbelt issue, blue is right about some folks refusing to wear a seatbelt. It's a ticketable offense in California, and I know some people who have actually received citations for not wearing the belt. In my own car, I do not put the car in gear until EVERYONE is buckled in! I'd say that "most folks" do wear their belts automatically...but some think it's an imposition on their personal freedom to be "made" to wear one. (These same folks often are motorcyclists who refuse to wear a helmet for the same reason!)
In the media, I'd assume that showing people "buckling up" is somehow considered "unnecessesary" or "distracting" from the dramatic moment...same way that film characters driving in the "big city" somehow ALWAYS find, not just ONE parking space, but TWO directly in front of whatever building they're heading for, just so they don't have to be seen trying to parallel park!
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Driving
Sept 27, 2009 3:59:19 GMT -7
Post by ann- on Sept 27, 2009 3:59:19 GMT -7
Allen, on the seatbelt issue, blue is right about some folks refusing to wear a seatbelt. It's a ticketable offense in California, and I know some people who have actually received citations for not wearing the belt. In my own car, I do not put the car in gear until EVERYONE is buckled in! ! Seat belt law came in here in the UK in the mid 1970's, and before that people were the same about not wanting to wear one. As a teenager I was a bit the same, till I was in a crash, and even though at low speed, had my head bashed against the windscreen, no real damage done but it certainly changed my mind about seatbelts.
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ann58
Female Member
Posts: 278
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Driving
Sept 27, 2009 12:21:17 GMT -7
Post by ann58 on Sept 27, 2009 12:21:17 GMT -7
State of Ohio, USA...you will definately get a ticket for not wearing your seat belt. I never leave my driveway without my belt on.
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Driving
Sept 27, 2009 17:25:34 GMT -7
Post by snowyh on Sept 27, 2009 17:25:34 GMT -7
In Texas, wearing seatbelts is the law, and the State widely advertises their "Click It or Ticket" campaign to remind drivers that they will be cited for not buckling up. From time to time cops station themselves at major intersections and ticket anyone who drives up unbelted.
On TV shows in the US it appears to be politically correct to show characters wearing their seatbelts--at least for anything filmed in the last 20 years or so. I never shift the car out of park unless everyone is belted in.
I've always had the automatic transmission restriction on my license, as I became an amputee before I was old enough to drive. The thing that annoys me is that no one told be I would be restricted, or offered me the opportunity to test on a standard--my license just arrived with the restriction. Then again, I've never felt the need to drive a standard...
Helen
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Driving
Sept 28, 2009 22:14:52 GMT -7
Post by jeffjester on Sept 28, 2009 22:14:52 GMT -7
Cherylm, please do not pidgin hole people. As a motorcyclist who is against the helmet law (I feel it is my right to not wear one, but I will wear one if it is the law) I always use a seat belt and ensure my family wears theirs. As a life time motorcyclist and as most my friends are motorcyclists, I know what you are saying is wrong. I know that about 80 to 90% of my friends wear seat belts but feel the same about helmet laws. I write this to point out that motorcyclists are not always against the law but to let people know, we have rights and wish not to have our freedoms taken away. Regards Jeff
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Driving
Sept 29, 2009 4:22:33 GMT -7
Post by allenuk on Sept 29, 2009 4:22:33 GMT -7
We had a lot of similar 'personal freedom' arguments in the UK when both seatbelts and bike helmets were made compulsory. The arguments didn't gain much ground over here, mainly I think because when a driver goes through his windscreen or a biker comes off her bike, it is the rest of the British people who have to look after their long-term head and other injuries. I understand things are handled differently in the good ol' freedom-loving US of A.
And the statistics really do speak for themselves - our NHS casualty departments (I think you call them Emergency Rooms) - tell us that the number of deaths and serious head injuries are far, far lower than in the days when you could ride your bike, or ride in your car, with no restrictions on your personal liberty. We have laws compelling all people in cars to wear belts, in the front and rear seats, with special laws relating to babies and small children, and the type of seats they must have, and so on.
Cherlym: I thought it was just that there was lots of free parking spaces in the US compared with Britain, where we have to queue up to parallel park for AGES.
I suppose the overall point I'm making is that we (here and generally in the world) choose to have restrictions on our personal liberties for the greater good.
Allen, bka, seatbelt on, London.
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ampgk
New Member
Posts: 42
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Driving
Sept 29, 2009 5:48:19 GMT -7
Post by ampgk on Sept 29, 2009 5:48:19 GMT -7
I'll disagree Allen and say I don't believe public-spiritedness is the prime reason for UK road accident rates. If it were, why are traffic death rates in France and Germany at US levels?
I think UK licensing requirements play a significantly larger role in the difference in road accident rates. A 43% pass rate on the driving theory test? Aren't the Oxbridge entrance exams easier? :-)
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Driving
Sept 29, 2009 8:47:26 GMT -7
Post by oneblueleg on Sept 29, 2009 8:47:26 GMT -7
Cherylm, please do not pidgin hole people. As a motorcyclist who is against the helmet law (I feel it is my right to not wear one, but I will wear one if it is the law) I always use a seat belt and ensure my family wears theirs. As a life time motorcyclist and as most my friends are motorcyclists, I know what you are saying is wrong. I know that about 80 to 90% of my friends wear seat belts but feel the same about helmet laws. I write this to point out that motorcyclists are not always against the law but to let people know, we have rights and wish not to have our freedoms taken away. Regards Jeff I guess this is connected to the health care bill issue, because we pay into a central pot to look after everyone instead of paying for our own health care personally, we consider it a decent thing to do to, to keep the overall cost down, aside from the fact that it's mind numbingly stupid to ride a motorcycle without a helmet. I'm really not trying to be offensive, I'm just stating a fact.
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Driving
Sept 29, 2009 8:48:52 GMT -7
Post by allenuk on Sept 29, 2009 8:48:52 GMT -7
No, I wasn't suggesting public-spiritidness as being the reason; it was more than in a country like ours, the 'libertarian' arguments don't hold much water, as if you DO get yourself smashed up, then it's not down to YOU to sort it out!
I think that public sentiment does hold some sway in these things (in a similar way to 'banning' racist or sexist language helps, down the line, to 'outlaw' such sentiments).
A.
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madleggs
New Member
You have to believe deep inside that you were destined to do great things-Joe Paterno
Posts: 9
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Driving
Sept 29, 2009 12:14:00 GMT -7
Post by madleggs on Sept 29, 2009 12:14:00 GMT -7
I can see both side of the argument here, however I have to agree with jester on one thing. Its not an accurate statement to say motorcyclist are the people who don't wear there belts! If it where only bikers who didn't wear them our government would not have made the decision to regulate the rule, bikers are still very small in number to car and truck owners and drivers! Sounds like a biased opinion!
Now the law is a good one and has save countless lives, I chose the opinion of to each there own. If you chose to not wear one that is your choice, if caught you can and will be given a citation! again no money out of my pocket, if you are in an accident it is your personal welfare thats at risk.
I personally think that our government is over involved into our every day lives!!
My opinion would probably change if we had a government run health care system, of which I am not necessarily a fan yet!
Point of my posting is simple, it is unfair to say bikers are the same people who refuse to wear their belts! However similar the issue is to the helmet law, there are several states in the us that do not require you to wear a helmet. Not one state in the us says it is ok to not wear your belt.
Apples and Oranges
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