Blind man sentenced for dangerous driving
A blind man who was convicted of dangerous driving after he admitted being behind the wheel of a car that touched 35 mph was given a three-month suspended sentence on Monday.
Omed Aziz was also banned from driving for three years at Warley magistrates' court in Oldbury, West Midlands.
Aziz, 31, who lost his eyes after an explosion in his homeland of Iraq, had been driving by following instructions on where to steer and when to brake from a passenger who himself had been banned from driving.
When police stopped the Peugeot 405 in April this year after it had erratically negotiated two traffic islands and a corner, Aziz's passenger explained that his friend was blind.
When Aziz, who is also partially deaf, was asked to step out of the car and remove his sunglasses, the officer was surprised to see he did not have any eyes, the court heard earlier this month.
In his defence Aziz, who also suffers from leg tremors and has only two fingers on his right hand, said he was testing his driving abilities.
At an earlier hearing he had admitted driving with no MOT, no licence and no insurance.
Well, ban him for three years from driving. That will teach him! Don't you think that a lifetime ban for people without eyes may be more appropriate?What about that second to last paragraph? How is it part of his defense to point out that he has leg tremors and two fingers on his right hand? Does that offset the fact that he is blind? It gives me little reassurance.
The last paragraph has me a little concerned. I often drive without a MOT. In fact, I have no idea what a MOT is and would not know a MOT if it fell on my head. Perhaps I should not admit that, since it would put me at risk. If any of you see my MOT, please tell me (I sure hope it is not something personal).
Finally, what better person to get to help you to drive blind than someone who had their license revoked? It only is logical. Of course, he could have gotten a dog or infant do drive instead. Wait, no, I think they are not allowed to have a MOT either.
