Driving

[LouLamb]

Booked my first driving lesson for Friday 17th . Very nervous about my arthritis . Does anyone have complication driving because of arthritis . Eg , gears , handbrake

[Buffy14]

Well yes I'm sure we all have problems driving sometimes when our joints are bad but that does not mean that you can't learn to drive and get a license . You will have to declare your condition to dvla but stress that obviously when you have pains in joints that could affect driving then you won't drive on that day etc .

[Silvergilt]

I don't drive a manual anymore because the clutch and shifting is beyond me, but there are adaptations you can get. I found an instructor in my area who specialises with disabled people and he had an automatic, somewhat adapted car and then went through the steps with me to learn what worked well for me. I passed my test after a few goes. It's totally doable.

[LouLamb in reply to Silvergilt]

I'm gonna try manual and the driving instructor said by the 4th lesson he'll be able to tell if I should go automatic

[soootired]

I agree with all the above, I drive a manual and occasionally the clutch is a problem when my big toe joint is hurting or my knee, also I find changing gears hurts when my wrist and thumb are playing up but reckon if it becomes a problem I'll get an automatic car. So far it's ok, if I'm in pain I avoid driving. To be totally honest, I find the brain fog the biggest problem with driving, and when I'm flaring I have real trouble with concentration so avoid driving then too.

Just see how you go and if you can get a manual licence it's better because then you can drive anything so if you ever needed to hire a car etc you could, as these tend to be mainly manual.