THREE weeks ago I fractured my left ankle.
I was exercising on the trampoline when I landed with all of my weight on my left foot in such a way that my ankle rolled outwards.
I heard a ‘kraak’ sound as I went down but as it at first seemed like a bad sprain, I thought no more about the sound.
Besides, after about 20 minutes of icing it down, I tried placing my weight on the ankle joint and discovered that I was able to move around with only a little discomfort. But later, walking became much more difficult.
It was only after a visit to an emergency department the next day that an x-ray confirmed a nasty crack in my outer ankle bone (with the interesting name of lateral malleolus).
The doctors placed my leg in a cast that runs from my toes to just below my knee.
The result: I am not allowed to place any pressure on my left leg and need crutches to move about.
Never one to be sedentary, I decided I could still carry on with my daily life – much to the horror of an overly-concerned mother.
Since then, I have had many heated debates with her about my ability, or lack of ability to do so, particularly when it comes to driving my car.
I would understand her concern if I were still driving my previous car - a manual transmission, which would require me to use my left foot on the clutch. But as I now drive an automatic car, I argue that my left foot is redundant.
So here I sit - immobilised.
I’ve finished reading the novels I planned to catch up on and caught up with the TV series which I missed by working late shifts – thanks to late press releases on the Influenza A (H1N1) cases.
I’ve tried reasoning with and even begging my mother to let me drive but the answer is still “no”. Determined to win the argument, I went online to check Google for the legalities of driving with a cast on your leg.
I found it was certainly not alright to drive with a leg cast in Britain and in some parts of the United States but I could find nothing relating to the traffic laws here. The only thing to do – ask the Singapore Police.
Its spokesman, ASP Stanley Norbert, told me that as long as the driver is able to manage the vehicle competently, cast notwithstanding, it is not illegal to drive. But he did caution that when it comes to insurance coverage, it may be a totally different story.
Not to be defeated, I emailed several insurers on the issue – a few replied. Some said they needed time to check their policy, others simply ignored the email.
But Mr Pui Phusangmook, the Senior Vice-President and General Manager for NTUC Income’s General Insurance Division replied.
He said: “For the given scenario of a policyholder driving with the left foot in a cast, there would be no change in our motor insurance coverage if the Traffic Police permits this, and if the driver can manage the vehicle competently.”
Armed with that information – and the echo of my friends' constant harping for me to just get on with my life, I am ready to take on the roads – and yes, my mother as well.