Daviot Kelly

I've heard many comments about whether the hearing impaired and deaf should be allowed to drive.

When the debate first came up, I thought it was a bad idea as well. What did not help matters was that the first time I heard it was when former senator, Floyd Morris, was the one lobbying. I thought it was quite ironic that a man who definitely couldn't drive (himself being blind) was making representation.

But lately, I've changed my mind. Reason being, some of the worst driving I have experienced have come from persons with two perfect working ears. I agree that a big part of driving is hearing; like the tooting horn of an overtaking car.

'Brings you back' to reality

Also, sometimes when you unintentionally drift into somebody else's lane, it is the horn that 'brings you back' to reality. And, of course, when you're reversing, you don't always look before you put your foot on the accelerator so a quick shout from an approaching driver or the pedestrian who just happened to be passing at that point will make you brake (so you won't break them).

But every scenario I just mentioned applies to those who can hear, and those who can't, because they all deal with a sense of awareness and peripheral vision. And, based on studies, a deaf person has sharper peripheral vision than one who can hear perfectly well. Plus, because deaf drivers know they will not hear a vehicle coming, I think they will pay more attention to the road than the rest of us who subconsciously take it for granted that we'll hear the danger.

Now, I don't expect a person who is visually impaired or totally blind to fly a plane or perform surgery because those types of activities absolutely require sight. But ask yourself, could a deaf person do them?

Individuals 'drive deaf'

One of my biggest arguments for deaf drivers, though, is that a lot of able-eared individuals 'drive deaf' all the time and never seem to crash. Like the taximen who listen to music so loudly they have to turn it down to have a conversation. Or the SUV-driving executives who are perennially on the phone. They can't really hear what's going on around them, at least not to the level they would if their music were at a certain volume or if their hands and ears were free. And furthermore, the leading causes of accidents are speeding and improper overtaking. The ears have nothing to do with either.

What I would love to see, though, is how the driving instructors teach. I wonder they would you 'say' "mi tell yu nuh put it deh so" or "memba di clutch" in sign language? Now I would like to hear those stories.

Let me hear you at daviot.kelly@gleanerjm.com

A woman holds up a placard during the Island Traffic Authority's launch of a sign language training course to enable the testing and certification of deaf drivers. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer