Armless man caught steering car with foot at 121km/h

[Swoop]

Latest news from the harold.....


24.03.06 1.00pm
By Rachel Tiffen and Sandra Conchie


A man with no arms was caught speeding at 121km/h yesterday - using one foot to steer and the other to operate the pedals.

The man told shocked police he was born with no arms and said he'd never held a driver's licence.

The 32-year-old unemployed Waikato man was clocked on State Highway 2 at Papamoa at 10.30am.

He was given a $170 fine and has been forbidden from driving. Police say he will probably be charged with dangerous driving also.

Senior Constable Brent Gray approached the driver's window, spotted a foot up on the dashboard and noticed the seat was reclined.

Mr Gray told colleagues he thought the man had an "attitude". But then he noticed his armless torso.

"He was pretty shocked by that, as you would be," acting Senior Sergeant for the road policing unit, Deidre Lack, told the Bay of Plenty Times this morning.

The armless speedster told the stunned highway patrol officer he had been driving for years, without any issues.

Ms Lack said she had spoken to several officers with lengthy careers and none had heard of anything remotely like it.

She had nothing against people with disabilities who drove motor vehicles, but had absolutely no sympathy for this speeding driver.

"Obviously driving at a speed like that, arms or not, you're just waiting for an accident. You're asking for an accident at 120km/h, whether you've got arms or not. Look at the risk he was posing."

The incident was a particularly unusual example of the sort of ridiculously dangerous driving that police encountered while on patrol, she said.

Ms Lack had no idea how the man had driven for years - as he alleged - without being caught.

Tauranga double below-the-knee amputee, Pat Barry, said he was amazed to learn the man had been driving so long without being caught.

"For obvious reasons it was good the police stopped this man when they did before he killed himself or someone else, but there are avenues for this man to go to, to seek funding to get his car converted and modified, and quickly get lessons so he can obtain his licence to drive."

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES

[Flatcap]

Usually it's people being caught legless

[SwanTiger]

Fucken brilliant!

The man deserves an award.

[skelstar]

$170!?!?
FFS, he'd better get a much bigger fine for that, or theres something very unjust going on.

[Colapop]

Don't get on his case - It was just a bit of 'armless fun gov'ner...

[Swoop]

I've been wondering if the policeman "put the cuffs on him"....:shit:

[sunhuntin]

what the heck did he use to change gear, indicate, wipers, radio, newspaper, cellphone and eat mickey d's? gawd...id be impressed if ida seen it, but would slapped a bigger fine on the fucker....least theres no way he can give bikes a bad name!

[chickenfunkstar]

Love the bit which says:



"Obviously driving at a speed like that, arms or not, you're just waiting for an accident. You're asking for an accident at 120km/h, whether you've got arms or not. Look at the risk he was posing."



She (Ms Lack) doesn't seem to have much of an opinion about the no arms bit.

I would have thought that driving with no arms would be more dangerous then driving 120kph... :sherlock:

[Wenier]

Now that is a super effort, that man deserves a DB.

He could start a new Racing league for people with no arms now that could be exciting.

[James Deuce]

How else is he supposed to drive you pack of Bigots? There is NO issue with him driving with his legs. None.

Half of you don't have vision that is good enough to pass the driving test, but you manage to wangle out of doing anything about, purely for vanity's sake, by going and getting a letter that excuses you for having monocular vision. I think lack of depth perception is a bigger disability to a driver than a lack of arms.

But I don't bitch about it in an internet forum, or place my assumptions about your fitness to drive/ride ahead of your need to use personal transport and even have fun.

I've seen thalidomide victims drive cars with their feet, quite successfully, thanks to having no arms. I've seen people with only a thumb and forefinger on the end of the only arm they have, operate heavy machinery to build the roads that you lot seem to enjoy riding on.

The dude should have gone and got a license. I guarantee you he could pass.

The people on this site wanting this guy off the road are as bad as the PC establishment most of them decry.

"I don't like it/understand it/it's creepy cos he's different/can't think of a way how I could do that, so it must be highly dangerous and needs to be banned."

FFS

[MSTRS]

Well said Jim2.
Anyway....no test will excuse monocular vision. It's other name is One-eyed-ness and the test for that is often aural

[Smorg]

Mistread the question toodle

[Ixion]

I do not see that there in any inherent danger in this. Some limbless people can do quite amzing things with the limbs they do have.

The test is surely an objective one? Can he control the vehicle adequately?

I don't see it makes any difference if he controls it with his arms, his legs, or his dick, so long as it is adequately controlled. Props to him for giving it a go I reckon.

[Gremlin]

The test is surely an objective one? Can he control the vehicle adequately?
I think its pretty obvious. He got pulled for speeding... not control, bet it was a side issue when they walked up to the car ;)

He should have got his license, if he could, then he would be no worse than a bunch of other monkeys on the road, and potentially better.

[Flatcap]

The dude should have gone and got a license. I guarantee you he could pass.

FFS


Not if he does 121kph in his test

[Drum]

I was co-driver with a one armed scottish nutter that could roll a durrie with his lips, while driving a bus load of foreign tourists at 120 km/h across an aussie desert.

He was safer than most cagers I see.:motu:

[Free Rider]

That was awesome.. i dont have anything against him driving with what hes got.. as for going 120km/h i dont think there is anyone here that hasnt.. :yes:

[MidnightMike]

Only in Tauranga eh .... :yes:

[Pixie]

"Obviously driving at a speed like that, arms or not, you're just waiting for an accident. You're asking for an accident at 120km/h, whether you've got arms or not. Look at the risk he was posing."


- another moron who believes all the propagander

[Insanity_rules]

Why the hell didn't he have a licence? He should have been able to get one shouldn't he?

[MacD]

The armless speedster told the stunned highway patrol officer he had been driving for years, without any issues.

Ms Lack said she had spoken to several officers with lengthy careers and none had heard of anything remotely like it.


So the Police have never heard of, or seen, a disabled driver before!?



"Obviously driving at a speed like that, arms or not, you're just waiting for an accident. You're asking for an accident at 120km/h, whether you've got arms or not. Look at the risk he was posing."



That's right, because 100km/h is a magic speed... :brick:

This is an appalling piece of reporting and an ignorant response by the Police, I hope the Health and Disability Commissioner has something to say about it.

His primary offence is driving without a licence, something that's not too uncommon around here!

[Shadows]

So the Police have never heard of, or seen, a disabled driver before!?

This is an appalling piece of reporting and an ignorant response by the Police, I hope the Health and Disability Commissioner has something to say about it.

His primary offence is driving without a licence, something that's not too uncommon around here!

Hang on a minute, the cop was quoted as saying he didn't have a problem with a disabled person driving. He didn't say a person with no arms should never be allowed drive a car. Yes his primary offense was driving without a license but it was also speeding. And to cap it all off driving with no arms. Yes he may be quite good at it, but he must prove that to a testing officer before he is allowed to propel a couple of tonnes of metal down a public road at any speed. If I was the cop it would have shocked the hell out of me too. This guy driving without a license is an unknown quantity. What if he had a head on with somebody (maybe even a KBer!!!) on a sharp bend because he couldn't turn fast enough??? Imagine the outcry then???

[myvice]

"Obviously driving at a speed like that, arms or not, you're just waiting for an accident. You're asking for an accident at 120km/h, whether you've got arms or not. Look at the risk he was posing."

- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
Go get your licence!
If he can control a car at the mind numbing speeds of 120 kph then he must be an incredible human being!
Just imagine, 120... Wow, you would be a blur to other traffic and your concentration would have to be so focused.
Just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine...
Amazing!


What?
Too sarcastic?

[Jackrat]

I know around a dozen guys in a bike club in OZ that all have missing bits,arms,legs ect.
Their ALL very good riders and are looked up to by everybody that KNOWS them.Of course there's always the stupid shits that think/say they shouldn't be alowed to ride/drive ect but I know who's really disabled an it's not the people with missing limbs.
As for this guy,he should just get his bloody licence aye.
BTW he ended up with $400 in fines an didn't get charged with dangerous.

[Edbear]

Yeah the point seems to be driving without a licence and he got caught speeding. Dummy shoulda got his licence as there is help avilable for disabled drivers to have their cars modified. As for 120k, there seems to be two speeds in this country - those who can't drive more than 80k and don't know how to go around corners and those who travel consistently at 110+. Who are the better, that is the more competent, drivers? 99% of the drivers I come across going 20k under the limit are also weaving, braking for corners then taking inconsistent lines around them and often otherwise disracted, in short, dangerous! They are simply incompetent to be behind the wheel! Maybe 'armless' got away with it for so long because he never drew attention to himself by incompetent driving? No excuse for not having a licence though!

[Lou Girardin]

120 k's. Wow, it's wonder his head didn't explode. Tossers!
He's probably safer than the average jafa reading the paper, having breakfast, yakking on the phone, masturbating etc, on the way to work.