Some years ago I drove a company car. One rainy day driving to work, I�d gently slipped into the rear of a car which had stopped unexpectedly at a green light. Not much damage to my car and still driveable but repairs were needed so while it was in the shop I was loaned a courtesy car.
It just so happened that I had organised to visit cousins in Canberra that weekend. Not a long drive from inner Sydney to Canberra and one I was confident of doing without any trouble. But I hadn�t got far down the Campbelltown freeway before the loan car sputtered and died. I just had time to pull off onto the centre median strip before blocking a lane.
But what to do now? Not only did I have the annoyance of the car break down, I was deaf and couldn�t easily call for help. I was female, young, travelling by myself and I felt alone and vulnerable. This was in the days before mobile phones, which I couldn�t have used anyway.
I noticed the roadside telephone not far away so thought I�d try to use it. I picked up the receiver and spoke. �I am deaf. I cannot hear you. I repeat I am deaf and do not even know if this phone has connected. I�m broken down and I need help. The phone box number is xxxxx.� I hung and up then repeated the whole sequence, each time repeating the same kind of message for a couple of minutes before eventually hanging up. I hoped the message had been received; that even if the telemarketer thought it had been a hoax they would send someone out to investigate.
Having done that, there was nothing more to do, except wait. So I went back to the car, got out a blanket and spread it over the ground. It was a beautiful sunny Sydney day and I sat there patiently reading a book. I waited, waited and waited and then waited some more and still the motoring association (NRMA) did not come. Here I was sitting on a blanket in the middle of a freeway and no-one even stopped!!! I started to panic and imagined being stranded throughout the night. (I found out later a serial murderer was operating in the area - TRUE!)
However, after about three hours a tow truck driver pulled up on the opposite side of the carriage way and called out. Of course I couldn�t hear him, but I explained my dilemma. He called the NRMA and found they had never received my call. It wasn�t long before the NRMA service technician arrived, sorted out the engine problem and had me on my way.
This time it all worked out for me�. But there were other times when the car broke down and I had to get help, asking and trusting that complete strangers would do the right thing by me. Once I broke down travelling between Sydney and Brisbane on New Year� Eve. I had to spend a couple of nights in the car in a caravan park. It�s no wonder deaf people feel very vulnerable in situations like this. But with a bit of forethought it need not be so. Contact your local motoring service to find out of they have an SMS number for breakdown service for the deaf and hearing impaired.
