PH Blog: life without a licence
Nothing like being told you can't do something to make you realise how much you love it
Until, like me, you suddenly face a doctor telling you you're not allowed to drive for a year. Which, given my line of work, does suck somewhat. But it's One Of Those Things there's no argument or discussion with. Mr Loophole could give you a fighting chance against the courts. But even he'd be powerless against the docs.
It's clearly a huge practical inconvenience but, of course, to the likes of us driving is about more than just transport. I still get an almost childlike glee from making a car go, stop and corner that's not diminished one bit in the near two decades I've been doing it and the thought I'm not allowed to do it for another year is gutting to say the least.
What does this mean for PH though? Absolutely nothing! I might not be able to drive cars for a bit but I can sure as hell talk, write and think about them as much as I ever did and the team will shortly be back up to full strength (more on this soon) so between us there's no shortage of driving talent around. And I've already had some interesting offers of ways I can keep my hand in that I'll be following up in due course. For whatever reason I'm guessing I'll not be the only person on here who's had to face an involuntary period on the subs bench and I'll be sharing my experiences as a non-driving car nut on occasion here. But I'd be interested to hear how others have coped.
Answers below much appreciated...
Dan
I was lucky in that my wife, friends and colleagues showed a lot of generosity in driving me about the place so I didn't have too much trouble getting around.
You'll be surprised at how quickly the year will pass.
It feels quite strange when you start driving again for a couple of weeks though!
Also be aware that most insurers require you (as the policy holder) to have a licence so any policies you have may become invalid. I had to look around a lot but Peter Best were very helpful for me.
The month seemed to last for ever, and it did feel weird driving again for a few days. Bit like when you come out of hospital having been in a small private room for a week - your own lounge at home feels enormous for a few days
The wife was a star (and friends as well) but it seemed like no time at all before I was completing that licence application.
Chin up and I hope that whatever has caused this is resolved.
Its amazing how much of your life it changes. Everything has to be planned well in advance. I live in a small village with a crap bus service, so the only way to get around is by cadging a lift with family and friends. Getting the simplest things done is a major effort. I'm even letting my hair grow long as I'm finding it difficult to get to the barbers.
Worst of all, I know most people are secretly thinking that I've been done for Drink Driving.
I've had two periods in my life car-less.
I moved to London, and on the strength of advice from others there and the obvious impracticalities of owning a car in the city vs. abundant public travel, sold up and ploughed the money into a season ticket. It's true that you don't need a car in London, but after only a few months I started to become conscious of how much of life still went on outside the M25. Family and friends who lived beyond the beaten track of rail or bus required planning and preparation to get to. And moving anything larger than you could carry with two hands became a major task in its own right. I crumbled after about 9 months and started looking, ending up buying a replacement car within a year. (Same make & model even - Toyota Celica GT4. Oh so practical for the city commute... :-p)
Second was when I spent a year working in Houston, Texas. Very weird experience because the entire culture and all mobility is centered around car use out there. Again, I made do - with lifts from friends and hire cars for weekends, plus I took my life into my hands and cycled. In that case I knew that I was only there for a fixed period and it didn't really make sense to get a car, but I keenly felt the loss again. It's like losing a limb in a way, or any other faculty that becomes so common-place and ordinary that you barely even register its presence until it's gone. :'(
I actually have two cars these days, perhaps as a sub-conscious insurance against car-less-ness.
I seem to remember that you can start the re-application process 3 months before the 1 year anniversary. I did (sent by recorded post) yet the DVLA, unsurprisingly, were very slow it took approx 5 months to actually get my licence back!
On your coping question, you do get use to it to a degree and with the help of friends my year went fairly quick. It did make me realise how lucky I was to have a licence when i got it back though!
And it'll not be a year before I drive something again but more on this in due course...
I work for a BMW Dealership who were great about it all, it hindered my job role, but was still able to get on with my primary job role. I could still drive in our car park (which is massive) so it kept me in the loop of parking and general driving.
I got my driving license back on Friday and it's such an immense feeling to be back on the road.
My advise would be keep trying to drive on private land (where they wont sue you if you do damage!) where you can, anything is better than nothing. (Donuts in a P/E S2000 with the roof down is always great fun!)
And I concur, get your application in early, you can do it 3 months in advance!
A good friend of mine was faced with a similar possibility earlier this year - when we stopped to think about the inconvenience it was depressing, however his line of work required him to drive and to be fair, you (and I to some degree) could carry on working without a licence.
Fingers crossed you're terrorising everyone with the MX5 again soon.
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