After running all the errands I could to help my parents, a letter from West Midlands Police arrived. They were throwing the book at us because I’d been caught doing 40mph in a 30 in my parents’ car.
The photo evidence showed their little silver Peugeot being driven by me on a dual carriageway in Coventry. A dual carriageway. In what world would anyone think they should be driving slower than 40 on a dual carriageway?
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I was bringing the car back from its MOT, having been asked to please sort this out by my father as one of a mountain of things he had let pile up since becoming progressively sicker over the past few months, and then having a stroke.
For days on end I waded through the backlog, filling out forms, meeting with carers, dealing with a leak from a loo with a broken valve which meant water was coming through the ceiling. And then one day, I got in their car and took it for its MOT.
I got an Uber back. Then I got another Uber to pick it up, and when I drove it back I crawled along as the clutch just about held out (although the MOT didn’t seem to care) because my father has driven it in first gear for so long, being so weak he can barely change gear.
At least since the stroke he will finally be prevented from driving. I’ve told him and told him to stop and he always gets cross and refuses. I even rang his GP and she said she would tell him.
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