Disabled people's independence stalled by driving lessons wait
One of those affected is Chelsea Moon, 24, who has atypical osteogenesis imperfecta – a bone condition that stunts growth.At just over four feet tall, her additional needs mean she has waited a year for lessons."In a normal car I can't see out the windscreen very well, and I need specially adapted steering and braking."But I really want my independence, instead of relying on public transport." Her instructor Emma Hallett bemoaned the UK-wide lack of those, like her, who have specialist training. "It can be very rewarding, whether you're giving lessons to new learners or existing licence holders who've been taken off the road by an accident or medical incident," she said.
Having qualified as a disability driving instructor in 2015, Ms Hallett said the shortage had "always been an issue".However, as a part-time employee at Cornwall Motability in Exeter - an organisation helping disabled people tackle mobility challenges - she said that "measures are underway to address it".Ms Hallett added that the organisation has been given a grant by the Motability Foundation to set up a driving school with two adapted vehicles, which local driving instructors would be trained to use and take wherever needed.She said the pilot project is due for completion in 2027 before being rolled out across their other centres in Truro and Plymouth.
Mr Rogers said while interested in training, many instructors were either already "too busy" or put off by the cost of adapting their cars - a process which can cost "thousands, even with the discounted manufacturers prices available".In a statement, the Driver and Vehicle Standard Agency (DVSA) said it was "working hard to provide a level playing field for learner drivers with disabilities".
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32 minutes ago
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I've led 1,400 F1 laps without scoring a point
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Absolutely crazy. 'But I love Silverstone. Just look around. The grandstands are always full. Even if the traffic is not nice, or the British weather. It doesn't matter. You can feel the passion. You can feel it's the home of racing. Also the fans. They're coming to me with pictures from 30 years ago, from Donington or Brands Hatch. I'm like 'That can't be me'. But it is!' On the day we meet, the weather is decidedly 'British' in the sense Mayländer meant it. None of this heatwave nonsense, it is hosing it down. We are on an 'Aston Martin Experience' day. The kind of day of which that heads dream about; the chance to put two souped-up Aston Martins through their paces. Firstly the Vantage, one of two safety cars currently used in Formula One (Aston Martin and Mercedes have shared safety and medical car duties since 2021). And secondly the DBX707, which is the sturdier medical car. By the time I go out for my laps in the Vantage, it has been raining steadily for about an hour and puddles of standing water are dotted all over Silverstone's inner Stowe circuit. It is huge fun, albeit I get a bit too cocky ahead of my final lap, giving the four-litre twin-turbo V8 too much of a rip out of the final corner, only to lose control and start spinning towards a tyre wall. Thankfully the car's Automatic Traction Control (ATC) system kicks in in time, arresting my slide, and I am able to get going again, waving cheerily to an Aston Martin engineer peering anxiously over the pit wall at me. Aston Martin prefer to do their high-speed passenger laps after their guests have had their turn, which is eminently sensible. If you went second, you would realise how much you were leaving on the table. When I go out with Mayländer, it is like he is driving a different car (see video below). 'Sebastian and Lewis whinge the most' What F1 viewers probably do not realise is quite how fast a safety car goes in the race. When you watch a safety car period in F1, it always appears to be trundling along at a snail's pace, with a long line of F1 cars weaving behind it. Drivers occasionally pipe up over the radio to whinge about how slowly the safety car is going and complain about losing heat in their tyres. 'Immediately I would say Sebastian [Vettel] and Lewis [Hamilton],' Mayländer says when I ask which drivers are the worst for whingeing. 'But I don't blame them for it.' In actual fact, he is flooring it much of the time. 'Once the track is clear, I'm probably going at 95 per cent race speed,' Mayländer says. Given the fact the German is a former DTM (German touring car), GT and Porsche Supercup race-winning driver, and given the fact the Vantage produces 656 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, allowing for a top speed of 202mph and a 0-60mph time of 3.4 seconds, his '95 per cent race speed' is seriously quick. Take a ride on board with a safety car around the Las Vegas Grand Prix circuit! 🤩 — Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 16, 2023 'If I'm going my race speed, no one is complaining any more by the way,' he says. I can see why. When we do our hot laps, Mayländer throws the car aggressively through every corner, drifting, braking violently despite the wet conditions, always on the limit of traction, correcting each slide expertly with a dab of opposite lock. The final lap is particularly violent, including the pit-lane re-entry, which he appears to relish taking at breakneck speed, braking hard at the last second. 'I never get a penalty if I go in too quick!' he says, laughing after we come to a stop. 'Okay, even we are allowed to make jokes sometimes. Sometimes it comes up on the dash 'Safety car report to the stewards, speed limit!' That's OK. I think that's allowed sometimes.' 'When I started, Schumacher was winning everything' Mayländer has become a bit of a legend in Formula One; a part of the furniture. Now 54, the German's 25 years in the sport comprises one third of its entire existence. In all that time he has missed only a handful of races. 'In 2001, I broke my heel jumping over a fence and missed Imola, Monaco and Canada,' he says. 'Then in 2002 I missed one race in Imola when I got a pneumothorax [collapsed lung] on the right side.' F1 has changed markedly in that time. Mayländer is a bridge to a completely different era. He was recruited by Charlie Whiting, F1's long-time race director, sadly no longer with us, while competing in the 1999 Porsche Supercup series. Initially invited to drive the safety car at Formula 3000 races, he stepped up to F1 the following season when Oliver Gavin, the then safety car driver, decided to pursue a racing career in the United States. 'I started when I was 29, so I've nearly doubled my age since then, which is amazing to think,' he says. 'But I tell you, the time has gone by so quickly. I've seen different generations. When I started, it was Michael Schumacher winning everything. Then it was Fernando [Alonso], then it was Sebastian [Vettel], then Lewis [Hamilton], now Max [Verstappen]. But I still love it. I still get nervous when I'm on the grid, which I think is important.' How long can he go on? Mayländer, it should be noted, also handles safety car duties in F2 and F3, meaning his weekends can be extremely busy. Plus, there are now 24 race weekends per season as opposed to 16 or 17 when he started out. He smiles. 'That still leaves 28 weekends,' he points out. 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That helps me at my age definitely. But experience is more important than being able to drive two-tenths quicker or half a second quicker. I'm pretty sure I can go for another five years. How long exactly I haven't decided yet.'
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