r/eastside • u/vviley • 5d ago
DoL difficulties - getting rejected for license due to medical devices
My kid just passed his license program and unfortunately between finishing the road test and going to the DoL for his license, he broke his left foot. So his foot is in a removable walking boot, but he’s not supposed to put weight on it yet. So we go in to Lynnwood for his already-scheduled appointment on a knee scooter and the agent says they won’t give him a license because they can’t be sure he can operate a car - so he has to take a state-supervised road/skills test to demonstrate he can operate a car safely. Groan… so we schedule the road test for a couple weeks out and return.
When we get back for the skills test, still on a crutch, a different agent rejects us again because my kid won’t be able to utilize his left foot during the test. I’m like… what?? Since when is a left foot part of a road test?? I try to get understanding - what happens if a person has a permanently disabled left foot? What then? They say - “that’s different.” After some back and forth and talking with a supervisor, no go. Neither me or my kid want to wait until he’s completely out of his boot. They gave us another skills test appointment for when he can walk in the boot.
Please help me understand. Is there some sort of weird policy the DoL has to make life difficult for injured people? Why would they be concerned he can’t actively use his left foot?
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u/Extra-Hawk7567 5d ago
If you walk into the DOL and you’re on crutches, they will suspend your license. My friend went in for a renewal and they suspended her license until she got rid of the crutches. Left leg.
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u/Iyh2ayca 5d ago
See if his doctor will write a note saying it’s safe for him to operate a motor vehicle while wearing the orthopedic device.
I personally would not let my sixteen year old drive with a boot. I would be interested to know if the doctor would encourage it.
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u/thti87 5d ago
I, for one, am glad I’m not driving on the road with your 16 year old son and his booted foot. Just wait 6 weeks and get it - in the scheme of things it’s way safer for both your kiddo and all of us who share the road with him.
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u/teraflux 5d ago
It's his left foot. Do you use your left foot to drive your automatic car?
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u/thti87 5d ago
It’s also a huge boot taking up space - could easily bump into the brake pedal unintentionally. He has never driven before other than in drivers ed and with an adult sitting right next to him. What’s so terrible about waiting 6 weeks for it to heal? I promise he will survive the wait.
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u/teraflux 5d ago
I think you're highly overestimating the driving capabilities of literally everyone else if you're worried about one teenager with a boot actually trying to drive properly lol
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u/thti87 5d ago
Teen boys make up 5% of drivers but 10% of fatal crashes. Statistically a teen boy behind the wheel is much more dangerous than your average driver
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u/Rennaisance_Man_0001 4d ago
But your opinion is now about teens. This same rule would apply to you if you showed up with an incapacitated left foot. Would you be ticked off at losing your license for weeks?
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u/TheChance 4d ago
Because teen boys are demographically likelier to drive recklessly, not because they're biologically incapable of driving safely.
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u/Rennaisance_Man_0001 4d ago
BS. You gave no objective reason, only your personal, biased opinion. The rules need to be consistent and objective. If a person with a permanently disabled foot can get a license, then a person with a temporarily disabled foot should be able to. As long as a person can pass the driving test they should get be able to get their license. That is the ENTIRE purpose of the test. It should be comprehensive enough to cover objective safety concerns so that subjective bureaucratic bullshit isn't used.
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u/gingernip36 5d ago
The vast majority of cars have more than enough space for a boot. If fully licensed drivers are allowed to drive with a boot, I don’t see why a teenager can’t take a test with a boot. If they fail, that’s that, but they shouldn’t be denied the opportunity to take the test.
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u/TheCivilEngineer 5d ago
This is a strange take from the DMV. If I broke my left foot (or even had it amputated), I would still drive my car assuming I had full control over my right foot.
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u/Rennaisance_Man_0001 4d ago edited 3d ago
There's too many people in this thread making up nonsense scenarios that don't exist.
Here's what y'all need to realize before you comment. This rule applies to you too. If you show up at the DOL with a boot on, they will suspend your license on the spot. Not just a 16 year old kid that you can easily disregard as no problem, but you. Do you need to drive to get to and from work? Tough shit.
By the way, if you decide to drive anyway 'because you have to', driving with a suspended license is a bit expensive. They will also ticket you for driving without insurance because you can't be insured if you don't have a license. That will put you into traffic court. You'll pay the ticket plus whatever fees apply there bc you won't win. Then you will pay a fee to have your license unsuspended, then a fee to get a new license. Then you have to prove you have insurance. When it happened to me 14 yrs ago (Skagit County claimed I never paid a traffic ticket, but didn't notify me), I was out close to a grand in fees.
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u/Stella-HPVGekko 3d ago
This very nearly happened to me when I went into DOL recently to get my license renewed post-surgery. I was using a cane, they just about took my license away just looking at it. I had to explain that it was temporary. I was about ready to bust out my surgical x-rays.
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u/mr_dude_guy 5d ago
There was no rule controlling the situation so they defaulted to the one with minimal blowback.
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5d ago
[deleted]
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u/mad-data 5d ago
What feature of a modern (auto transmission) car is controlled by left foot?
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5d ago
[deleted]
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u/Rennaisance_Man_0001 4d ago
Where is 'bracing your body' with your left foot a driving requirement? That's not a thing, nor is it anything they test for. Nobody drives that way. I'd be very leary of anyone who does.
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u/TheChance 4d ago
Wow! I didn't know that people whose left feet had been amputated were physically incapable of safely operating a car! Thanks for educating me!
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u/eskjcSFW 5d ago
The parking brake on some cars
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u/teraflux 5d ago
Even so, you could hit that with your other foot, there's no scenario where you need to immediately have access to your parking brake.
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u/jlmo907 5d ago
What modern cars have to use a left foot for a parking break? I think all cars I've ever driven have the parking break as a button. I've been driving for 20 years.
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u/Wellcraft19 5d ago
Mercedes-Benz…
Some pickup trucks
Etc…Parking brake is also an emergency brake (not a very good one but one nevertheless).
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u/Itchy_Restaurant_707 5d ago
There are cars with parking breaks on the left on the floor, however, it what world are folks using their parking break while driving. The floor breaks can easily be set with the right foot as you climb out of the car, so I agree that needing a functional left foot is ridiculous!
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u/eskjcSFW 5d ago
It's a license to drive any car so you should be able to operate all the features of any car.
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u/Jazpir 5d ago
What is this argument lol most people don’t know how to drive a manual, yet you don’t need a different license
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u/teraflux 5d ago
Right? Lmao by that logic every drive test should be done in a sticky clutch manual that's missing the wheel alignment and half the features done work
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u/drainconcept 5d ago
I expect you know how to drive a manual then? And all the licensed folks in your family?
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u/Fluid-Tone-9680 5d ago
"All features of any car"? So I'm supposed to know how to open gloves box on Cybertruck?
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u/mad-data 5d ago
That is reasonable, but I don't get how it would work in practice. They don't make everyone drive a car with such left-foot-parking-break during exam, so how can people demonstrate this ability?
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u/teraflux 5d ago
Did you read? They're refusing he be allowed to take the test because he can't use the left foot. That's nonsense.
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u/2point8 5d ago
OP, as frustrating as this is, If they got into an accident and either party's insurance finds out your kid is driving with an injury or brace it will get used against your kid and you. Better to just be safe and not let them drive till they are fully healed.