Getting Back Behind the Wheel after a Foot Injury

Recently I was at the doctors office when a patient was arguing with the doctor about not being able to drive her car because she had to wear a foot brace.  The doctor Dr. Praveen Vohra gently reminded the patient that he could not recommend that she drive with the foot immobilizer on.  I think he is a great doctor.  If you are in need a foot doctor see him at WWW.SoreFeetUSA.com.   This experience lead me to blog this post.

Driving A Car With a Foot Injury

Driving has in recent days become a necessity for most people. Without the ability to drive, one cannot get to work, attend therapy at the podiatrists’ office, or make an appointment with the physician. It is, therefore, important to learn when one should start driving again, after sustaining an injury, and undergoing surgery to correct it.

Determining when you should return to the wheel should always depend on the following factors;

Consider the Risks You Are Taking

Driving requires you to make precise movements that must get accomplished with a lot of ease. If you cannot bend your joint or risk injury to a particular part of your foot by being behind the wheel, then you should probably not consider it. Your podiatrist can advise you on when to get back behind the wheel, after observing your progress.

Look At Your Mobility Status

You must ensure that you are in a position to operate the vehicle safely. For this, you need to be in a position to respond to all situations, especially situations that are unpredictable in nature. Studies by podiatrists indicate that a person wearing even a simple splint becomes significantly impaired.

His or her ability to control the moving vehicle and react to arising situations becomes reduced. Therefore, any person wearing a brace or one that has recently undergone foot surgery should make sure that he or she finds a driver.

Technically, your physician and podiatrist cannot make any determination on the safe operation of any machinery. However, the podiatrist is in a position to make recommendations if he or she feels that it will be unsafe for you to drive the vehicle.

As such, a podiatrist will usually recommend that one does not drive;

  • If you are wearing a medical device
    Foot imobolizer
    pict2fl.com

    such as a brace cast or a splint. If wearing anything that limits your mobility, then it is more than likely that this recommendation will get made.

  • If you are taking any narcotic pain medication for the foot pain. Many foot injuries tend to be very painful, which is why the podiatrists prescribe painkillers. Most of these painkillers can cause drowsiness which is why you should not drive while you on them.

Once the doctor has seen an improvement in your mobility, he or she can recommend that you retest your driving abilities. Often, this will require you to visit the department of motor vehicles so as to get a specialized test that helps determine whether you can operate a vehicle safely.

Auto Auction Purchasing Through EBay

Photo Provided by uncyclopedia.wikia.com

So what are the ways you can purchase a car online?  Auctions are one of those ways.  One of the most well-known places is ebay.  An alternative, yet popular non-auction site is Craigslist.  Back in my younger day, I always used to pick up a copy of AutoTrader to browse through.

Ebay has a user-friendly four-step process you can follow to buy a vehicle which you can find       http://pages.motors.ebay.com/buy/howto/index.html

In a nutshell, the process is outlined here.

  1. Find you Car. Look for the cars that you like on eBay using their search.  Filter your search with the select functions that you are looking for.
  2. Do your Research.  Look at the pricing structure of the vehicles that you are looking at.  You should be able to get a feel of what type of vehicle  you can afford and what the options are.   Study the reviews.  EBay has functions to help you do a full research.   Review the seller history and get a feel if the seller is reputable.  Calculate the costs and figure out what you are willing to spend,  don’t forget about state tax when you are registering the vehicle.  EBay offer buyer protection up to $50,000 at no additional cost.
  3. Purchase or Bid.  Depending on if the seller has the auto on an auction or buy it now, you can make an offer.  If you are not already a member of eBay then this is the point that you should register.  Then you can make a bid,  purchase with buy-it-now option or you can make an offer.
  4. Seal the Deal.  Time to complete your purchase, you will need to review the details displayed and seal the deal with the seller. Pay the seller through eBay.  You can use a credit card at this point.  The seller will end up footing the cost for the credit card, which is about 5% of the total cost, through the credit card company (PayPal).   Then arrange for picking up the vehicle and/or shipping of the vehicle.

I hope this helped.  You can find additional information at http://pages.motors.ebay.com/help/.

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What You Need To Know About Purchasing At a Car Auction

Car auctions are becoming more popular to visit to find a good car to drive for bargain prices.  However,  you do run the risk of getting a car that is less that desirable.  Find out how to buy a car at an auto auction.

To avoid spending too much at an auction you need to do your homework.   Know what type of car that you want and what the value for that type of car is.  At an auction you are gambling that you recognize the auto’s value, strengths, and faults.   All in all do you know the cars worth?  You will need to bring a cool head and a bankroll to play this game.  In the end, it may be worth it to avoid the dealer markups.  Below are some helpfull tips to help you with the process.

  1. Know the auction catalog or online listing of the vehicles that you may be interested in.   Find out the history of the car if you can.  What kind of conditions was the car used in.  Was it a police car that sat in a parked position and had a lot of run time?  That is not something desirable.  Was the car in an accident?  Has the frame been bent?  Is there a trial of ownership with the car?  Was this car previously totaled and rebuild?
  2. Go to the auction.  Sometimes you can make a bid by phone or online form but is this the car you really wanted?  What if you bid on a yellow Chevy Caviler when you thought you were bidding on a Camaro.  I did know someone who purchased a minivan on Ebay and received a deal but I don’t know if that’s the norm.
  3. Go early and register as a bidder.  You will need to provide proof that you have the funds to buy a car.  Usually, you will need a credit card or bank statement.   There will be a buyers premium fee added to the winning bid and you are expected to sigh a contract that discloses that fee.   If you arrive late you may reget it and have to wait in line and may miss the chance on bidding on the car that you wanted to get.   Look at the order of cars and get an idea of when the car you are interested will be showing.
  4. Check out the car carefully,  inspect it. Is there overspray in the edges indicating that it has been painted and fixed.  Know the model of the car or take someone knowledgable with you that does.  Check you the engine:  Does it start, blow smoke, have noises, is it leaking oil or other fluids?  Check the fluids on the car.  Is the oil burnt of have metal shavings on the dipstick?   Is the body on the car straight or have signs of bodywork?  It the price and car is too good to be true then most likely it is.
  5. When the bidding is happening make sure you are visible to the auctioneer.   Be as close as you can get and make sure you noticed when bidding.   Know what you are going to pay.  Know and set your upper limit to make sure that you don’t overspend.
  6. Auction houses have shipping available.  The shippers are reputable and will transport your car for you.  It’s not recommended to drive the car yourself in the misfortune the car breaks down.
  7. Sales Tax.  Depending on the state the sales tax will vary.  The tax is paid in the state that the car is registered.