Driving is my passion, my car is my legs

New Year 2010: Elizabeth Jarvis

I am feeling rather smug, the car has had a service plus MOT, the Blue Badge has been applied for, just leaves the road tax and insurance, which I cannot do anything about until the renewals arrive. These ‘little’ every day tasks are annoying to some, but for me it’s a rejoicing. I will explain.

I have had the “passage of time” cars, old bangers too and the new shiny ones. I became bosom buddies with cars as they became my legs, and the Blue Badge really was a help. The idea of stopping driving was very painful, more so than the RA. My passion allowed me a pass for The Institute of Advanced motorists in 1991.

Around that time I belonged to the Disabled Motorist Association, which had a magazine. I was in one of my “car share with husband times” when in the small ads at the back I spotted ‘FOR SALE, a Classic American 1989 Chevrolet G20 van’. She had the “Custom package”, boomerang TV aerial, chrome. She was beautiful and I could drive it from a wheelchair if I wanted. She was a left hand drive vehicle and had the on board ramp, sliding side door. Everything was push button. I took to the roads again as a driving ‘floor show’. She was a real head turner as they say. I was about to do a handout for the stop and chat, tyre kickers and enthusiast. They could not believe it when I told them it really did do twenty miles to the gallon with a 5.7 litre petrol engine. Now the Chevrolet G20 is hopefully giving good service to a young accident victim in Northern Ireland. I went back to economy driving, car sharing again.

The magazine’s photo, in a small advertisement, of a 1986 Chevrolet Caprice was a split second love affair. All the photos and telephone chats about this car could not have prepared me for such a well “logged”, sorry for the pun, Classic American car. This station wagon was ‘Lizzies Log’ to my friends. This car was in top condition when I sold it; the present owner flew down from Edinburgh, his first flight, to buy his childhood dream car. It has, since I sold it, appeared in American Classic magazine because it is a stunner.

My sister dropped in an ancient magazine that had an article on a seaside resort for someone in a wheelchair to reach the sand and the warm lapping sea. The article was very interesting and I flicked to the smmmmaaaallllll aaaaaaaddddsssssssss, yes you have it, another car. This really is my dream car, a 2001 Chrysler Grand Voyager, Limited, no less. I agonised over the curled up, out of date, pre-dentist waiting area, ‘nicked’ magazine. The car was for me, but had it been sold? I could not afford it but had to make that phone call, “yes its still here”, “yes come and see it tomorrow”. Wow I am on cloud twenty seven. Whoopee, I AM INDEPENDENT! I am able to do things and go places. Within a few days of its purchase I flew to Dublin from Manston (thank you fire crew for lifting the wheelchair, 120kgs of dead weight).

The daily jobs of shopping etc give way to holidays. We have found a beautiful fully accessible Gite in France, which we rent. It is 466 miles door to door and I do all the driving. While we are there, the odd ‘boot fair’ is a must. Although the journeys do mean army style logistics and I try to drink a minimum!

At the end of holidays we make quick calls to the UK to say we are on our way back. The Chrysler takes everything, the bike and a red toy car for the grandson George, brought near the Gite.

This Chrysler Grand Voyager 3.3 has had one of the most pretty adaptations, I can “gear shift” the auto box and the power steering is as light as a feather. The viewing platform, controls, plus all the modern things in a car of this style such as air con and CD player, makes for a lovely drive. The wheelchair, as my driving seat, does raise eyebrows when I appear from the “bowels” of the car that has just opened its tailgate/rear end all by its self. Four button presses will exit me from the vehicle, one is the seat belt. My wheelchair is “locked down” and has a release time delayed button. My wheelchair and this “lock down” has passed the crash test, my seat belt just stops me, not me and 120kgs of wheelchair.

My reversing skills are good, but one day after a speedy exit, I found myself seesawing over the ramp edge, stuck. I made sure never to do that again hence the yellow guards.

Driving is my passion, my car is my legs. I have made myself non disabled by the modern things around. I use, rather than lose it. It being my independence.