The October issue of Spoke Out magazine is here: Read it now
IWA member Niall McDonnell was one of those featured on RTÉ’s The Random Driving Test with comedian and broadcaster, PJ Gallagher and his episode has had a huge reaction.
The idea of The Random Driving Test is simple: PJ Gallagher puts everyday drivers behind the wheel of a car to find out whether they could pass their driving test if they did it today.
In his episode, Niall shared how a road accident resulted in him becoming a wheelchair user and he explained that Irish Wheelchair Association’s Driving School helped get him back on the road just a couple of months later.
Speaking with PJ in the episode, Niall said: “I wasn’t far from home, a car pulled out in front of me basically. It was absolutely life-changing. After that, I woke up in hospital… They (IWA) got us back into the cars very quick — probably just two to three months after the accident.”
He added: “That’s where IWA comes in. The objective for them is to get you back on the road, get you your independence.”
If you’d like to watch the episode and find out whether Niall was able to pass the driving test, you can catch up on the RTÉ Player here.
IWA provides a range of services to people with disabilities, and one of these is our motoring services. We provide over 2,000 driving lessons and assess more than 300 people each year.
Our motoring school caters to a wide range of people with disabilities. Our fleet of adapted cars and team of experienced driving instructors will be able to help you get on the road, whether you’re new to driving or returning to driving. One of our vehicles is specially adapted to facilitate power chair wheelchair drivers for assessment and tuition.
IWA operates 10 driving schools in Clane, Carrick-on-Shannon, Clontarf, Donegal Town, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick, Mullingar, Navan and Wexford.
For further information or to provide feedback, you can contact our National Mobility Centre in Clane on 045 893 094 or maats.admin@iwa.ie. You can also visit our dedicated motoring page here for further information.
You can also find out more about getting a Disabled Parking Permit here.
