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Motor Schools Association of Great Britain membership magazine; driving instructors, road safety, motoring news

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For all the latest news, see www.msagb.com<br />

CPD Training<br />

events and AGMs<br />

NORTH EAST<br />

October 28<br />

Contact: Mike Yeomans<br />

To be held by Zoom, starting at<br />

6.45pm to 9.00pm.<br />

Key speaker: Peter Harvey MBE<br />

All members are welcome.<br />

Contact North East Area chairman<br />

to book your link.<br />

chair.ne@msagb.com<br />

EAST MIDLANDS<br />

November 3<br />

Contact: Kate Fennelly<br />

chair.em@msagb.com<br />

GREATER LONDON<br />

November 7<br />

Contact: Tom Kwok<br />

chair.gl@msagb.com<br />

WESTERN<br />

November 8<br />

Contact: Arthur Mynott<br />

chair.ow@msagb.com<br />

(see left for details)<br />

WEST MIDLANDS<br />

November 10<br />

Contact: Geoff Little:<br />

deptnatchair@msagb.com<br />

SOUTH EAST<br />

November 15<br />

Contact: Fenella Wheeler<br />

chair.se@msagb.com<br />

SCOTLAND<br />

November 21<br />

Contact: Alex Buist<br />

chair.os@msagb.com<br />

(see facing page for details)<br />

NORTH WEST<br />

November 22<br />

Contact: Graham Clayton<br />

chair.nw@msagb.com<br />

To be held as a Zoom event.<br />

To obtain a link, contact the<br />

chairman<br />

Eastern<br />

Date to be arranged<br />

Contact: Paul Harmes<br />

chair.oe@msagb.com<br />

First drive highlights<br />

challenges facing those<br />

with monocular vision<br />

John Lomas<br />

Editor, MSA GB North West<br />

Well, the bullet has now been bitten and<br />

I have ventured out on to the highway<br />

for the first time since my eye problems.<br />

At the end of July, I dragged myself<br />

out of bed early, around 6am, and went<br />

for a pre rush-hour drive of about two<br />

miles up on to the moor between<br />

Darwen and Bolton, turned by using a<br />

triangle group of roads (the Belmont<br />

turn) and returned.<br />

No immediately obvious problem so<br />

about a week later I decided to visit<br />

relatives in Yorkshire, near Keighley.<br />

This is a trip I have usually done of an<br />

evening, but this time I went at<br />

lunchtime and came back before dark.<br />

It does seem that the most stressful<br />

part is judging left-hand clearances<br />

(remember, it is my left eye that is not<br />

working properly) and I seem to be more<br />

aware of what I believe are called<br />

‘floaters’ drifting through my vision on<br />

occasion.<br />

Last night, after the heaviest traffic<br />

had left the Bolton Road, I decided to<br />

repeat the out and back triangle run<br />

from a couple of weeks ago.<br />

This time it was noticeable how,<br />

compared with pre-problem night<br />

driving, I experienced much more<br />

distraction by oncoming headlights,<br />

particularly when they were coming over<br />

brows, and it was harder picking up the<br />

near-side kerb on an unlit bend when<br />

oncoming headlights have required<br />

changing to dip beam.<br />

Once back into the street lit areas it<br />

was much easier.<br />

I was also able to parallel park back<br />

into the space I had left, which was<br />

tight enough to require a shunt to leave<br />

it.<br />

I have to note here that it is positioned<br />

so that reflections of the cars front and<br />

rear are also visible in the terrace house<br />

windows.<br />

Bouyed by that initial success I<br />

decided to try a longer run involving a<br />

night driving return.<br />

I decided to visit Spotland (or as it is<br />

now known, the Crown Oil Arena),<br />

home of Rochdale FC, for a match<br />

against my ‘home’ team,<br />

Gloucestershire-based Forest Green<br />

Rovers. I was able to return from there<br />

largely on street-lit roads, with the<br />

exception of the stretch over the moors<br />

mentioned on my first night drive.<br />

Again, it was noticeable how<br />

oncoming vehicles can adversely affect<br />

one’s perception.<br />

I will still probably get someone else<br />

to accompany me for an independent<br />

assessment, but am quite happy with<br />

my progress so far. I am also aware that<br />

what I have done up until now is all on<br />

roads I know.<br />

Maybe what I have written here might<br />

help you if you ever find yourself<br />

teaching a new driver with monocular<br />

vision, a qualified driver affected like<br />

me, or if you ever have to face the<br />

problem yourself.<br />

However, while these drives have<br />

gone well, I have come to the conclusion<br />

that I will reluctantly have to tell my<br />

employer, Vehicle Concepts, that I won’t<br />

be able to return to work with them as I<br />

don’t feel it is fair to either them or their<br />

clients for me to be driving unfamiliar<br />

vehicles on unfamiliar roads for longer<br />

distances/times.<br />

This is particularly so when you bear<br />

in mind that my journey times will also<br />

be longer due to having more lengthy<br />

breaks when it is necessary to use my<br />

eyedrops, as it can take up to half an<br />

hour before my vision clears properly<br />

afterwards.<br />

It will be a great shame as they have<br />

been a good firm to work with. To learn<br />

more about them, see<br />

http://www.vehicle-concepts.co.uk/<br />

CONTACT<br />

To comment on this article, or provide<br />

updates, contact John at<br />

johnstardriving@hotmail.com<br />

NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER <strong>2021</strong><br />

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