After IAM course, crash ‘would not have happened’
Losing a limb would seem a terrible stroke of luck, but young driver John Gravil insists his luck was in or he would have been lying dead at the side of a road, writes Caroline Brodie
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JOHN Gravil has no memory of the crash. One minute he was driving along a country road, the next he was in a hospital bed being told doctors could do nothing to save his right arm.
There had been mud on the road and the newly qualified young driver lost control of his Vauxhall Corsa.
As it rolled, he was knocked out, leaving his unhurt male passenger to raise the alarm.
Recalling the accident, he said: “I just remember some bits of being in hospital and waking up. They told me I had lost my arm. At first, it was a shock, but I knew very early on that I just had to get used to the idea and get on with things.”
Since the crash, which happened four years ago this week, John has joined the IAM and is supporting the Press and Journal’s Young Driver of the Year competition in the hope that it will convince other young drivers to do the same.
The three-month campaign – being run in partnership with Grampian police, the IAM, Knockhill’s Centre for Driver Excellence and Specialist Cars Seat – aims to cut the tragic toll of death and injury on our roads by highlighting advanced driving skills.
More than 100 young drivers from across the north and north-east entered the competition.
Statistics show one in three drivers aged 17-20 crashes within two years of passing their test, with that age-group particularly prone to high-speed incidents and single-car collisions.
John was 17 when his accident happened and had passed his test just five months earlier.
Although he seems positive about the impact it has had on his life, the 21-year-old chef is convinced the accident could have been avoided had he known then what he knows now.
He said: “I was thinking about doing the IAM course even before I passed my driving test, and I know the accident would not have happened if I had done it sooner.”
However, John still considers himself to be lucky. He has made a full recovery and adapted well to using a prosthetic arm.
He had to learn to write all over again with his left hand, but he is still able to drive a normal car with the help of a simple device which helps keep his artificial arm attached to the steering wheel.
He is also able to carry out his duties as a chef at the Dunain Park Hotel, Inverness.
John, of Kiltarlity, near Beauly, said: “I got accustomed to the artificial arm very quickly and I try to do everything I can.
“You just have to get used to it. I don’t find it causes me any problems.”
But he is acutely aware that the outcome of the crash could have been much worse.
“I had a lucky escape,” he said.
“I could have easily been lying dead on the road that day.”
John is now eager to encourage other young people to get involved with the IAM.
He said: “It teaches you how to look farther ahead for hazards and how to deal with them, as well as better road positioning. It’s a much safer way of driving.
“I think every young person should do this course.”
The IAM’s Skills for Life package costs £85 and is everything you need to pass your advanced driving test and become a full member of the IAM. Under-25s automatically receive a £20 discount.
The organisation has groups up and down the country. To find out more about your local group, visit www.iam.org.uk
