Motoring with restricted growth (view report contents)
Products and techniques
We give brief details below of the products and techniques that might suit you. See also our Car controls guide, but this is the time to get individual advice from one of the Mobility Centres.
If friends or family without a restricted growth condition also drive
your car, make sure your adaptations
do not get in their way unreasonably.
In this section:
Getting in and out
Primary controls
Steering
Pedals
Changing gears
Accelerating and braking
Hand controls
Combined controls
Separate accelerators and brakes
Parking brake
Secondary controls
Mirrors
Other ways of driving
Tips
Getting in and out
Hand holds above the car door might be beyond your reach, so check what you can hold on to if you need support getting in and out. Partly close the door as you get in if you can’t reach the handle from the seat – or use a hooked stick. There are strap extensions for reaching the boot or hatch lid.
Low sills are easier to lift your legs over – close to the ground for getting in and close to the car floor for getting out. A low seat is good for getting in and out but you will need to be higher to drive, so have an adjustable seat – and check it goes high enough for you. It may be possible to have an existing seat converted to be higher, made height adjustable, swivel or to be powered. Costs start at about £800+ from adaptation firms.
If swivelling helps, there are turning cushions (mostly between £20 and £80 from general aids suppliers) and replacement swivel seats, mostly from £700 upwards, from adaptation firms. To get in, sit first then turn and bring your legs in, doing the reverse to get out.
There are seat belt devices – available from motor accessory shops – for reaching the belt, easing the tension or altering the anchorage point on the door pillar. For safety in any accident, the straps need to cross your shoulder and fit low across the pelvis, avoiding your stomach.
wheelchair users
If you use a wheelchair, see our guides:
- Getting a wheelchair into a car for
- People lifters
Primary controls
There is a range of adaptations for drivers.
Steering
If you steer one handed, you will need a grip fitted to the steering wheel – a steering ball or spinner – and probably a power assisted car.
Spinners come in several shapes to suit different types of grip and most cost between £30 and £80.
There are very small steering wheels and horizontal steering wheels which can be custom built to suit you – but these systems are very expensive.
Pedals
The size, position and shape of pedals can sometimes be altered to suit your needs. Clutch, accelerator and brake pedals can be extended to bring them nearer. There are bolt-on extensions (from around £60 a pedal) with a raised platform below, attached to the car floor (around £100 fitted) or a raised platform with extended pedals attached to it (around £350 for three pedals fitted).
???Changing gears
This is likely to be easier with automatic transmission. To stop the car rolling back on slopes, you will need to use a handbrake or have an adaptation such as brake assist. If you cannot use a mechanical gear selector, there are systems which electrically set the gear for you, but these can be costly. It might not be worth adding them to older vehicles. A Mobility Centre can advise you.
A manual gear stick can be extended or some cars have easy to use manual gears – such as by nudging the gear stick and having no clutch pedal.
Pushbutton clutches have a touch sensitive switch mounted on the gear stick (around £1,000 to £1,500+). Some clutches work automatically as soon as the gear stick is moved.
Types of semi-automatic clutch vary from mechanical levers to servo-assisted systems, but they require manual dexterity.
If you drive an adapted manual car but your licence is for automatics only, have the clutch pedal removed.
Accelerating and braking
Adaptations are usually fitted at the same time and can be combined for these functions.
Hand controls
If you cannot use pedals, different types of system can be fitted on an automatic car. They can be powered and come in various shapes. Have a pedal guard fitted, which is easily removeable.
Combined controls:
- steering column mounted – push a lever to brake and pull it towards you to accelerate, from around £350.
- floor mounted levers – the height, length and strength of movement can be set to suit you, from around £500.
- clamp on controls simply bolt on to the pedals – best as a short-term option and cost around £350.
Separate accelerators and brakes:
- accelerator rings need less effort than a push-pull lever and you can steer with both hands on the wheel, from around £1,000 to £1,600.
- hand operated floor mounted brakes, around £350.
- custom built accelerators to be worked by different parts of your body.
Parking brake
Bolt on attachments make using the brake easier – levers that press the release button, or handles you pull the whole brake on with – mostly from £60. There are also electric brakes worked by press buttons. These vary in cost, from around £700.
Secondary controls
These are used for things like lights, indicators and horn and there are simple attachments to make them easier to use – such as extended indicator stalks.
Otherwise there are infrared systems for all secondary controls. Getting used to one of these can take practice to find the right button by touch. Many do not have automatically cancelling indicators.
There are also bleeper and tone systems – you press just one button
until you reach the function you want. Voice control systems act by only
your spoken command.
Prices of these vary widely depending on how complex the adaptations are and on your vehicle’s wiring system. They start at about £750. Do check the potential cost of any adaptation you are considering and its compatibility with your car with an adaptation specialist.
Mirrors
Panoramic mirrors fit over or replace the rear view mirror (around £20 from adaptation firms). Stick on ‘blind spot’ mirrors (from £2 in motor accessory shops) extend what you can see in door mirrors.
Other ways of driving
Nearly all controls can be altered or adapted to suit you and complete systems built around you if necessary. Obviously the more equipment and adjustment you need, the higher the cost. You will certainly need a thorough assessment at a Mobility Centre and specialist instruction for systems that involve driving in a very different way.
Tips
Here is advice from drivers with restricted growth:
- Learn to drive as young as you can.
- Ask the dealer if you can use removable extended pedals on a test drive.
- Have lumbar support for comfort and to bring you nearer to the driving controls.
- Get advice from an independent Mobility Centre.
- Go for a big car – it does the ego a world of good.
Report Contents
About
this guide
Motoring
with restricted growth
Choosing
a car
Plan
of action
Products
and techniques
Getting
in and out
Primary
controls
Secondary
controls
Finance
Further
information
Helpful
organisations
