Safe Speed Forums

Ok, a bit of an odd one this (isn't this what this forum is for?) and I don't know how bad the scale of the problem is.

Ever needed to complete a long journey and started to feel unwell or in pain. In theory you should stop, possibly stop overnight, but not everyone has a spare 50 quid for a travelodge and if you wake up feeling even worse tomorrow you're still going to have to get home to see your doctor, basically there's no practical ways to avoid driving in this state.

If some or all services had a GP or nurse, and some free accomodation for those who they determine is genuinely unfit to drive then perhaps we could get ill people off the road rather than risk causing an accident through lack of attention or inability to correctly control the vehicle.

Of course, I've come up with this idea after being in that situation myself. Stopped at Burtonwood services at 2AM on the M62 as my right leg was beginning to hurt, of course nothing was open so I couldn't get any painkillers. It got gradually worse and by the time I made it to Lymm services I was having to switch to driving with my left foot. Fortunately in my case the painkillers and a McDonalds worked, but if not it would have been left foot driving all the way home to Aylesbury as the only means of payment I had on me was a fuel card. (I was driving home to collect replacement credit cards as my wallet had gone missing during this trip)

I feel confident that a Hotel / Travellodge receptionist would be well acquainted with local emergency medical facilities. And we do have a National Health Service.

I'm not sure it would be a good use of medical folk's time to hang around the motorway services waiting for occasional problems to show up.

If it's worse, we can dial 999 and expect an ambulance.

I also believe there's an NHS advice telephone centre that can assist, including providing a doctor, but I don't know how to contact them. Maybe we should all programme the number into our cell phones?

And it's a good idea to keep pain killers in the car. I have a packet of those paracetamol/codein tablets in my 'boot kit'.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

It is common practice to have ambulance crews parked up at strategic locations outside the hospital to reduce responce times.

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Speed camera policy Kills

NHS Direct? 0845 46 47 - have the number on my cellphone already, very useful with young kids. NB: It's England and Wales only.

If I remember rightly it was them I called when the eldest broke out in spots and had a fever on a bank holiday Sunday morning. They booked us in with the emergency doctor based on our postcode.

I have no idea what the NHS direct number is, though not sure how useful they would be at identifying that particular problem over the phone (I am convinced I'm getting RSI in my right foot since I started sticking to the motorway speed limit a year or so ago)

I guess for the majority of ailments they'd be ok though, however it still doesn't address what happens when they tell you not to drive and you have no way of paying for a travellodge or anything.

Am I the exception rather than the rule? Whenever my back pocket petrol runs down to around £100 I refuell it with £200 or so. I rarely call upon it, but boy I find it comfortable to know I have it in reserve - for just such an occasion.

You're a far baraver person than I am carrying £200 in your back pocket.

Also, if you saw at the start of the thread, I'd had my wallet go missing while out on a job.

It's OK if you can spare £100 to just be sticking around in your back pocket.

Some of us have kids to feed & clothe. I often have no paper money on me at all. My credit card is my backup, failing that my wife's credit card.

I did spot about the lost wallet - a bad break all round. I also got touched - credit cards lifted from wallet in my jacket and wallet put back - a few years ago. I have fortunately never had a pick pocketing incident.

As for the "RSI".. I'd suspect a nerve in the upper leg being trapped by the weight of the leg on the front of the seat. If your car can do it, try raising the back and lowering the front of the seat. If not, try a bit of folded material (only need about 1/4" that goes from the bit where the back of the seat meats the seat part, just about half way to the front.

Interesting idea Lum. I'd agree with Homer that NHS Direct is a pretty good service and certainly a good number to keep handy. They can do more than you'd think. Definitely scope for advertising their number by the paracetamol in the shop.

Local Primary Care trust would be unlikely to physically site a doctor or nurse in a M/way services unless it could see real need/savings. Problems would be cost, not enough nurses/doctors to recruit, hooking up clinical IT systems, cost of administration. Could have local, unfit to drive, sick people driving on motorway to reach services if they don't like their doctor/want a 2nd opinion etc. Clinician might need to prescribe medication which causes drowsiness etc etc.

However, I'd advocate use of 'tele-medicine'. -Monitoring & diagnosis over internet. This is increasingly being set up for rural communities. You could have the kit set up at a services for that. It would be more focused on cardiac probs but this could limit arrests on the outside lane...

Well, given the problems with my idea that people have pointed out, I'd like to revise my plan a bit such that after receiving tele-medicine, there would be free sick bay type accomodation at the next services to discourage people from pressing on to try and get home.

The only problem would be people faking illness to avoid having to pay 50 quid for a travelodge which is why I originally suggested having an actual doctor or nurse there.