CHENNAI: In a possible first in Tamil Nadu, a 31-year-old Chennai man who had lost both his arms from below the elbow in an electric accident during childhood, has been given a special driving licence by the North Chennai regional transport office. K Thansean of Vyasarpadi was given the licence based on a fitness certificate issued by government doctors.
A visibly happy Thansean, who is pursuing Master of Laws at Dr Ambedkar Government Law College, said disabled people like him who love driving should be encouraged and given licence without much hassle.
“Immediately after getting the licence last week, I drove my family in a car to a temple in Perambur. Of course, people on the road were surprised. Many came and appreciated me for driving the car with legs without any difficulty,” Thansean said.
His longest drive so far was to a temple in Tiruttani. “The vehicles are modified to my convenience. Horn, indicator, wiper, and light switches are placed near the hand brake,” he said.
My next goal is to ride a bike: Thansean
“Since I drive a fully automatic car, I don’t have any difficulty. I handle steering with one leg and operate accelerator and brake with the other leg. Occasionally, I use my upper limbs as well,” Thansean said.
Thansean says driving a car was his dream for a long time. He finally joined a driving school and learned to drive with legs. “My next target is bike. I am currently practising to ride a bike. Yet to get the licence,” Thansean said.
Thansean says he wanted to be independent, have his own vehicle, and drive with his family without depending on public and private transport, and even to work. “Many who saw me practising car driving discouraged me, but I didn’t give up,” he said.
Thansean further added that he carried the paper clipping of a woman without hands driving a car in Kerala and showed it to RTO officers and doctors. He then went to the Government Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, K K Nagar, where the doctors’ team led by Dr P Thirunavukkarasu, director of the institute, Dr A Rajakumar, associate professor, and Dr Kris Chitrarasu, assistant professor, assessed him and gave the fitness certificate.
“We assessed him. First we saw if he was physically fit and whether he could operate all keys. We then assessed his ability to respond to a situation while driving. We checked if he could apply the brakes immediately. He performed all the functions well,” Dr Thirunavukkarasu said.
An official in the North Chennai RTO office said as per the Motor Vehicle Act and state and central motor vehicles rules, persons with disability (PwDs) can be given driving licence. The medical board will give a medical fitness certificate, and suggest modifications in the vehicle. The RTO will see if the candidate has modified the vehicle as per the suggestions and is able to operate the vehicles like a normal person and issue a licence.