Staying On The Road

Sometimes it’s just not your fault.

When we think of the reasons why people have had their driving licenses revoked we tend to think about points totals or driving whilst under the influence. And such people tend not to get much sympathy because the loss of their licence could have been reasonably foreseen and their actions, in driving too fast or accepting that second glass of wine, were taken in the full knowledge of the potential consequences.

They gambled and lost.

But many people who lose their driving licenses do so for reasons quite beyond their control. Stroke, diabetes, epilepsy, brain tumour. loss of vision. Nobody contracts such illnesses through choice but they, and many others, can mean the loss of your driving licence and, with the General Medical Council yesterday encouraging doctors to ignore their Hippocratic oath and inform on their patients to the DVLA, there really is no hiding place.

Now of course there has to be a balance struck when considering risk and there is no doubt that the elderly and infirm tend to lose the ability to drive as well as they used to and, at some point, become dangerous both to others and themselves. Sometimes, in these circumstances, the driver has sufficient insight to stop driving voluntarily but, more often, he or she succumbs to family pressure. However the loss of mobility after stopping driving has major consequences and, in addition to the effect of the medical ailment, it can have a devastating effect on quality of life. All the routine little journeys to shops, clubs or to visit friends are no longer possible and, to the former driver, the future can look bleak.

When we started selling the E Rider, we expected they would be mostly bought by young people- children going to school. students commuting to university etc. However we have found that, in fact, the vast majority of our sales have been to people over 50 and, within that group, there is a significant proportion of customers who are unable to have a driving license.

For these customers the E Rider represents the last route to a fully independent life and we are proud to have helped to keep them on the road.

 

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