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Yes, I have a permanently damaged ankle, up to op number eight soon, only issue is if you drive with the boot on it could be argued that you are not in full control of the car, I took mine off when driving
Unfortunately I broke and dislocated my ankle at the weekend and am currently in hospital awaiting surgery tomorrow to pin it back together. All being well I should be discharged by the end of the week. The thing is that we were supposed to be going to stay with friends in the Forest of Dean next week, with me driving us from our house in north-east London so a 360+ mile round trip. It’s my left ankle that’s broken and I have an electric car so in theory no issue with me driving but has anyone done it?
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Yes, I have a permanently damaged ankle, up to op number eight soon, only issue is if you drive with the boot on it could be argued that you are not in full control of the car, I took mine off when driving
Have you been told by a medical person that you shouldn't drive? If so, then don't as you'll (obviously) invalidate your insurance.
Otherwise, crack on. One of the reasons I have an EV is that I'm awaiting 2 operations on my left hip which makes operating a manual gearbox tricky. As you say, you don't use your left leg for anything, but just make sure you can sit comfortably behind the wheel and that you're not in total agony.
They haven’t said I can’t drive , only that for medical reasons they don’t recommend it since the natural reaction when you have to emergency brake is to press with both feet which would potentially impact the healing processOriginally Posted by Longblackcoat
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Any wrong move, even without an emergency, could distract you through the pain and create a situation. Unless of course the pain is managed chemically, which would make driving downright dangerous. As you say "we", are you really the only one who can drive?
Also, being released the day before it is unlikely you'll be able to do without the boot, which would be used by the other party as a factor should there be an incident.
Last edited by Saint-Just; 21st May 2024 at 16:02.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Sorry to hear you have done that. Nightmare.
Presumably your partner can't drive and public transport options are limited?
Will you not be in a plaster cast with your leg elevated?
Personally I wouldn't, maybe for an emergency, but not a leisure trip where you could find an alternative solution.
Could your friends pick you up from the nearest main train station for example?
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Last edited by xxnick1975; 21st May 2024 at 17:40.
A few years ago a lady driving a car through a local village with a medical boot on (not sure of the proper term), got the boot stuck between the accelerator and brake. She then crashed her car in to a person and crashed him and the car into the front of the local pub. It was horrific to be honest.
The lady is now in jail.
I fully accept that in an automatic car, your left foot does nothing. To be honest your right foot in an ev does very little either due to the regenerative braking. But perhaps there is still a risk to be considered?
Two things spring to mind - if you are taking any medication that could affect such things as concentration, decision making, alertness (eg strong painkillers) you probably shouldn't
You might be best to check with your insurance company because, although on the surface of it, you might be able to drive ok - they may have a different view, especially in relations to painkillers and/or a sharp pain if you brake suddenly - which could persist long after an emergency stop and in which case are you going to stop, take painkillers or drive in pain? It would not be good to have an accident and find out that you aren't insured because they consider it something you should have told them...
Edit: here's an orthopod's view https://nicksavva.co.uk/when-can-i-drive-again/ Although he doesn't mention insurance, he talks about left foot fractures being ready to drive an automatic 3-4 weeks after surgery on the foot
Last edited by JonRA; 21st May 2024 at 17:11.
I wouldn't do it even if you feel OK, if you were involved in an accident you wouldn't have a leg to stand on (pardon the pun). The onus would be on you to prove that your medical condition hadn`t contributed. I`ve been in similar situations following knee surgery and foot surgery, even though I was confident I could drive and brake as required I waited till I was 'officially' told I could drive.
Many years ago I drove a manual car to work and back after spraining an ankle badly, including a 2 hr drive on work business, I had to stop every 20 minutes to relieve the pain and pressing the clutch made me wince, in hindsight a stupid thing to do but I didn`t want to let anyone down so I did it, even though I was unable to fully weight bear and was walking with a stick!
If you're taking pain killers and tolerating a degree of discomfort that'll make driving hazardous, either postpone the trip or get someone else to drive.
I'm Right leg amputee and learned to drive an automatic with my left foot in a Super Market car park. Its less dangerous than if I had both feet, but does take a bit of rewiring of the brain. I eventually got a conversion kit, they are pretty cheap. I've spare one if the OP want to have a crack at fitting it.
Of course you will need to declare that you are altering your car, if not your insurance will be none and void if you have a smash.
Just ask your insurance provider.
Thanks for the kind offer but not needed thankfully as my right leg is OK.
We are not due to travel until Thursday next week so have a few days to see how it goes after the operation. I am inclined to not drive however. In theory my wife could drive us but she is not the most confident and has never made a trip like this. She’s only clocked up 2000 miles on her car since she got it 3.5 years ago! We would have to go in her Renault Zoe too which doesn’t do fast charging as she’s not insured to drive my Audi e-tron.
Ordinarily we would just cancel the trip but it’s supposed to be a big gathering to celebrate my 50th birthday last week!
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I had a left knee replacement some years back and was driving an automatic four days later. No problems at all. I specifically asked my insurance company if I was allowed to and was told that so long as I wasn’t taking mind-altering medication and had not been advised not to drive, I was OK to do so.
The key here is checking with your insurance company
Agreed and applying a large amount of common sense maybe??
Jim
It’s certainly not the case that your feet don’t do any braking in an electric car - I had to do a fast stop the other day and stood on the brake just like you would in an ICE car. Regenerative braking does some of the work but if a deer suddenly appears you react with your feet! - actually the brakes in my EV are far spongier in this instance with less feel - the car stopped on a sixpence but it really didn’t feel easy. Personally I wouldn’t drive with an ankle injury and I suspect your insurance would be void.
Never heard of using both feet to brake, let alone it being a natural reaction.
Given the left won’t be used and you are comfortable in the car, and not advised not to be driving by the doctor etc, then I cannot see any issue. I would not risk driving with the boot on though, and that could be the comfort factor removed for you; too much risk.
Not saying you use your left foot to brake, but might have a tendency to brace for possible impact using left leg
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I broke and dislocated my ankle the day before Christmas Eve and it was pinned and plated the next day.
I was in full plaster and non- weightbearing for 6 weeks ( turned out to be 8 weeks).
It was my left leg also . My advice would be to see how you feel first, and then check the legal/insurance position.
I was driven 200m about a week after and it was bl**dy sore .
Tip - when you get out of plaster ( boot ) make sure you do exactly what the Physios tell you.
NB - I still can't work the clutch on my Vantage which may appear on a sales corner near you soon
Ah that makes more sense, thank you!
Get the train to Gloucester and get your pal to pick you up.
Or get the missus to drive, she'll be fine
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Or do both, if you don't trust her driving
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Thanks everyone for the comments. Unfortunately we had to take the decision to cancel the trip to the Forest of Dean next week as my surgery was postponed for a few days as my ankle was too swollen. Will definitely check with the insurance company if I am OK to drive when I feel up to it though as being able to do short local trips would be a big help for the school run etc.
Cheers
Stuart
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My wife had a very similar accident and surgery, it was a couple of months before she even thought about driving. Even being driven was uncomfortable, we had a cruise booked from Southampton and live about 300 miles from there, it wasn't a fun journey!
Yeah all our summer plans are up in the air now. We had 2 camping trips planned in June and a 3 hour flight in mid-July.
I am now thankful that the delivery date for my new Polestar 3 has been pushed back until August, that would have been torture to have it sitting on the drive and be unable to use it!
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Hi Stuart
A shame about the delay to your surgery but it is important from the surgeon's point of view to get the swelling down as much as is reasonable before operating (or was many years ago when I worked as a physio on orthopaedic wards). I hope it went well and you have a smooth recovery. Post-op swelling will abate steadily, but it wouldn't be helped by the foot being dependent for a long drive - almost certainly a contributory factor to the discomfort/pain felt by others undergoing a long car journey soon after the op. I am pretty sure you will have been encouraged to keep your leg elevated as much as possible. Good luck and enjoy your Polestar later in the year - very nice!
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