Merrily We Roll Along

Since getting my California drivers license a week ago I have made 4 solo voyages -- all to my immense satisfaction. Trip #1 was an easy one -- just up the street to a local eatery and then from there through a residential area to a bank ATM. Unfortunately the sun was just setting during this last portion, and given the canopy of trees and lack of street lighting in some places, it was difficult to see. I made it home without incident but I now have a new rule -- no driving after 5 p.m. unless absolutely necessary, and in familiar territory that is well lighted.
Trip #2 was up the street again, this time to El Camino Hospital here in Mt. View where my occupational therapist is. The trip requires going about half a mile up Grant Rd, a busy major thoroughfare with a speed limit of 35-40. My GEM car only goes 25 mph at top speed (and it actually inhibits you from going any faster), so I stay over in the right lane and let people in a hurry pass me by. It may help that I have a yellow sticker on each side of the car that reads, "Patience Please: Disabled Driver"
Trip #3 was up Middlefield Rd into Palo Alto where I have therapy activities 4 days per week. I drove myself to the Betty Wright Swim Center where I exercise every Friday. The staff there was thrilled with my success, as were several swimmers I know. One of them, Molly Hale, actually just re-learned to drive herself. She was in an auto accident years ago, not wearing a seat belt, and suffered a spinal injury that rendered her paraplegic. She has a specially outfitted van with hand controls for gas and brake. She enters the vehicle on a lift that accommodates her wheelchair and then she just wheels right under the steering wheel and takes off (with seat belt). She actually had the same adaptive driving instructor as I did. Unfortunately for me (but not for her), Sam seems to have a better understanding of motor impairment than brain injuries such as mine. During our practice sessions, at a STOP sign by a crosswalk, I several times came to a stop at the line on the other side of the crosswalk. Sam said, "What are you doing? You're blocking the crosswalk - remember to stop behind the first line!" When I thought about this I realized I was counting the lines in the same manner you would if there were two parallel lines on a chalk board and you were counting them. #1 is the one at the top and #2 is the one at the bottom, right? I was stopping my car behind line #1 so I didn't see what Sam's problem was. When I explained this to Anne, she said, "Just think of it as stopping behind the first line you come to - et voila, I haven't made that mistake since.
My all electric GEM car (www.gemcar.com - I have the e2 model) has a spinner knob on the steering wheel so I can steer and make turns using just my right hand, and an adaptive turn signal lever that I operate with my right hand. I also have a panoramic rear view mirror and wide side mirrors on right and left. Because I have residual peripheral blindness on my left side (hemianopsia), some of my friends assumed my biggest challenge when driving would be to see things on that side. Actually it is not. I am used to driving my electric scooter and constantly turning my head to the left to make sure I don't miss anything over there. The biggest challenge, as far as I'm concerned, is simultaneously processing all the data and sensory input coming at me simultaneously: e.g., there's a traffic light up ahead and a car waiting to turn left; there's a car behind me and one behind that; there's a school zone between where I am now and the traffic light - oh, and wait, there's actually a stop sign about a block before I get to the traffic light; there's also a girl riding a bike over on my right and a car coming toward me with only one headlight, etc. But the biggest challenge of all is figuring out which lane I need to be in on a multi lane road in order to proceed where I want to go - straight ahead, left, right etc. On roads I know from traveling them repeatedly, I've actually memorized some of this (to go straight across El Camino on Sylvan Street, stay in the right lane, but the right lane at Moorpark only goes right so be careful!)
Therefore Trip #4 last Thursday was a real test of my skills as I was taking a route to my storage unit in Sunnyvale I hadn't driven yet, even though I've been a passenger headed there any number of times. Without going into undue detail, I found the correct lane to be in every time, kept to the right except when needing to make a left turn, and did not exceed the 30 mph speed limit! I was thrilled.
The part of driving that has returned most naturally is the rate of acceleration, braking distance and use of turn signals -- although, as my instructor Sam pointed out, it seems I had some poor driving habits that have carried over from before the stroke!
The best part of being able to drive again is of course the freedom and independence it gives me. I still use Santa Clara County's Outreach paratransit system for rides further than my 6 mile radius(because of battery discharge) or when I need to get my scooter on board for use at a destination such as Stanford where there would be too much walking involved. But for as helpful as Outreach is, using it requires being ready at least half an hour in advance of their scheduled arrival, which also means they can be half an hour late in coming to pick you up. Now, GEM car wheel firmly in my grasp, with just the right amount of pressure on gas pedal and brake, proper use of turn signals, frequent mirror checks and constant mental chatter - look ahead, do this, get in that lane, slow down, etc., I can come and go when I want. It feels like being 16 all over again.