United Brachial Plexus Network, Inc.

I am a new TBPI (October 15,2004). My question is how soon were any of you driving after injury? What problems did you encounter and how did you resolve these?

thanks...Pat

It depends on which arm is injured. John lost the use of his left arm & is still able to do about everything with his right hand. He reaches thru the steering wheel to the turn signals. The only thing I'd like to change on his car is to put the high beam control back on the floor the way it used to be a bunch of years ago... because if John were on a curvy mtn road at night it would be good to have the high beams on - but then he'd have to quickly turn them off if a car was coming. I wouldn't want him letting go of the steering wheel to do that on a winding road.

The other question is what type & amount of pain meds you are on. Some can make you pretty woozy.

There are ways to adapt a car. I bet others on this site can give advice about that.

Take care,

Ellen

Don't you guys have anything like this over there? (see link)
http://www.adaptacar.co.uk/infraredsteeringball.htm

or this http://www.usatechguide.org/techguide.p ... 1&catid=34

In my opinion, the ONLY way to drive a car safely when you can't use both hands properly is to have one of these gadgets fitted.

It absolutely horrifies me when I hear of people taking their one and only 'good' hand off the wheel to switch indicators or lights on. Don't want to cause a row, but that is my opinion. ;0)

I couldn't agree more with Lizzy, especially as my tbpi was caused by a driver who thought he was in full control and clearly wasn't. In fact here in NZ and I'm sure also in the UK it is actually an offence to drive with one hand on the wheel in an unadapted car because quite simply it's very dangerous, that includes cel phone use in able bodied people which now attracts a large fine.
Those steering balls Liz has linked can be very expensive altho second hand ones are available on Ebay. My car has very simple (and cheap) adaptions which cost me $50 but have been inspected by the
Ministry of Transport here and have been passed as safe for one armed use. I contacted the ministry for advice and they put me onto an adaptions expert.

It may well be that you live in a country where it is perfectly legal to let go of the wheel to indicate etc, that doesn't make it safe in my opinion. I would never even run the slightest risk of causing a tbpi (or worse) to someone else by driving an unadapted car.
I hope noone is offended, it is something I feel very strongly about.

Hi Pat,

Ryan was driving about 2 months after his accident. He also lost the use of this left arm, and seems to drive just fine. But I agree, I would hate to see him on a mtg road in fog or if it was pitch black.

Best to you,

Karen

Alright, here is just my opinion, and EVERYONE thinks and views things differently so take it as you will!

Liz & Jenny I love you two!!

I am RTBPI and drive with no adaptations at all. I beg an driving around 3 months after my accident and my parents made me pretend drivers education again! THEIR CHOICE! I had to go to the high school and go through buckets that they had set up to see how I could manage. Then I was not allower, per my parents, to drive on the freeway for another month. I never checked into anything 'special' for my vehicle. I was not and am not interested in any adaptations for my vehicle as I dont find any problems driving. I have signals on the left, brights on the left, radio control on my steering wheel (and a remote for my stero that I can work with my right hand Changing the heater/air can be a problem but i tend to just leave it at a decent temp setting so that I dont have to worry aobut it. In the winter I set it a bit higher and then I can always roll the window down if I get hot! hee

I have looked at the adaptations before that Liz mentions and they are neato, not the steering ball though! Sorry, not to offend anyone!

I do think there is a difference in the contries though, the way the injured person is looked at. Honestly, it seems to not be as big of deal as peeps make it out to be here, personal opinion. I dont want to "look" and different than anyone else! I dont want at 24 to have the "grandma" car. Also the roads here are MUCH different than they are in the UK. We have much straighter roads here, but i think we tend to drive at higher speeds, especially on the freeways.

I think you should comply with the laws, for sure, but do what makes you comfortable. I am completly comfotable and confident when I drive. I am sure when and if ther eis a day that i am not I will then look into something...... untill then happy driving!

COurt xx

BTW way heavy meds while driving, those were my doctors orders, get off them first!!

no offence courtney :0) Don't take offence at this..

But..........the roads and conditions are different in the US as you say, but that doesn't stop them having one of the highest road death rates in the OECD countries, last time I looked anyway. The UK incidentally has a death rate among the lowest....maybe because of those annoying safety laws we have to protect others.
You do have some use of your bpi Arm Courtand that does make a huge difference, you probably manage fine. My comments were directed more at anyone with a flail arm like me who is driving with one arm. All I know is, if someone hit my child, and I found out afterwards that person had one usable arm and that they might have taken it off the wheel........it doesn't bear thinking about.
Yes, statistically the chances of killing or maiming someone else may be tiny, with one usable arm the chances are much bigger and lets face it-we are all here because of those one in a million chances.

I hope it never, ever happens to anyone here, but it could. And you better hope it's not my child you hit if you're driving one handed in an unadapted car.......

Of course Court I know it won't be you and I love you too, just PLEASE think every second you're driving, then think some more. Cars are hard and spiky, people are soft and squidgy, things get messy. I'm as obsessive about this as the parents on the gen board are about dodgy birthing practises, and with as much justification.
Happy driving everyone :0)

This is going to be a great thread! Thanks Pat!

I never eve checked into what my state regulations are for driving with a "disability" (I HATE THAT WORD!)so I cant even say what is required by law here in Michigan. I Live in the subburbs of DETROIT! YEAH! Peeps drive like MORONS here, I guess that is a nice way to put it. Speed limits really mean nothing, for the most part in the metro area in general. Just seeing this and doing no research I can believe that America has "one of the highest road death rates in the OECD countries" We also drive at much higher speads here I think that in many other countries. The posted sppedlimit on the freeway near my house is 70mph which in Detroit means 85-90 mph and if you dont go that you will get run off the road! So Jenny I can understand this!

Like I asked on the UK boards, how do you ever get over the mental aspects of the injury? I am sure that is where my problem lays with many things with my "lucky fin" I Dont want to look, act, or feel any different from the average Joe.

Thanks for still loving me Jen! hehe Will you be at Squres in 05 so we can meet? I am hoping to make it back!

COurt xx

Hey, for what it's worth: John was injured when he was 15, so he had to take an actual driving test with a person from the Drivers License Bureau in order to get his driving license when he turned 16. The official had no problem w/his driving ability one-handed.

That said, I agree that adaptations make sense - and am still blue in the face trying to get John to consider them. The one thing he can't do easily is the turn signal, and based on personal observation I'd wager 98% of people don't even know their car came with one!

Ellen