Car controls (view report contents)
Starting points
You need to think about the car, the controls and your own abilities. Whether you are adapting an existing car or buying a car to adapt, gathering all the information you can is likely to be time well spent.
The car
Most simple adaptations can be easily fitted to any car. If you already have a car you need to compare the pros and cons of adapting it with those of buying and converting a new one. The advantages of keeping your old car include:
- it’s likely to be cheaper
- it’s familiar
- it may have features you like
Against this
- newer cars have useful standard features or options - see Standard equipment that may help section for more information.
- you can choose a car which is easier to adapt
- a new car may be more reliable and last longer
- you may be able to get financial help or VAT exemption on a new car – see Finance section for more information.
You need to check that the car can be fitted with the controls you want. Do not buy a car until you have checked with the adaptation firm that this can be done.
Most manual and automatic cars can be adapted fairly easily and all can be fitted with the simpler hand controls for steering, acceleration and braking described in this booklet. However it can be difficult and more expensive, or even impossible, to fit some more complex controls to some vehicles.
For example the electronic circuits in many new cars can cause problems if you try to fit the more sophisticated secondary controls described in this report. This will be a growing problem as technology changes.
Around four fifths of the disabled motorists in our survey wanted controls
that could be fitted without modifying the car, and which would not affect
its second hand value. You can save money by choosing a car that can be
converted relatively easily. And you can protect the second hand value
of your car by choosing a combination of car and control that does not
involve major work to the car’s interior. Discuss all this with
the car converter before you start.
The controls
The controls which are right for you will be those which you find easiest and most comfortable to use, and which you can use safely. This guide gives examples of what is available. Don’t be put off by the variety of equipment – most people need only very simple attachments. If you need more than this, there is plenty of good advice around to help you make the right decisions.
Your abilities
Drivers in our survey felt they were the experts on their own abilities, but appreciated advice from those who knew about controls. They were impressed with firms who discussed options fully and listened closely to what their customers had to say. Here are some tips from them:
- 'be honest - get an assessment at the level when you are at your least able - at the end of the day when you feel tired'
- 'make sure it will be what you need for the period of time you will have the vehicle, or if your condition worsens'
- 'make sure everyone listens to what you have to say and what you want, and not w hat they think you should have'
- 'see as many controls as you can'
- 'a chance to try things is important - Mobility Centre; Mobility Road Show...then personal needs and experience takes over - you know what suits you'
Most drivers also stressed that it was important to consider the other
people who used their car. Although some able bodied family members learnt
to drive with adaptations, most in our survey did not. Make sure any adaptation
does not make it difficult for other drivers to get in and out of the
vehicle and does not make driving difficult or uncomfortable for them.
Here’s how to set about getting the right control.
Use this booklet as a starting point to think about what
type of adaptation you might need and to help you explore what is possible.
Bear in mind that most controls can be adapted to suit you. Many adaptation
firms will be able to build something specially for you if it is needed.
Get an assessment from a Mobility Centre. They have expert
knowledge and are independent - none of them have any interest in any
conversion company. They are likely to have come across people with similar
requirements to your own.
If you are in any doubt about whether you can drive or not, they will
carry out an assessment to see if you can, and find out what equipment
may suit you. If you know you can drive, they will help you decide what
controls may suit you and allow you to get the feel of them before committing
yourself. Some of the bigger centres have a range you can try out either
on a test rig or in a real vehicle. Assessments are free if the DVLA refers
you and at a few centres with an NHS referral, but most charge £45
upwards. See the section on Mobility Centres
for details and addresses.
Adaptation firms use the assessment report as part of the process of finding the most suitable equipment for you. Be prepared for the recommendations to change – the car you choose may not be the one you tried when you were assessed, and the equipment may be slightly different too. If the conversion is a complex one and is being paid for by Motability, a member of their technical staff may come to make sure that the conversion suits you. Otherwise the converter will usually discuss any proposed changes with the Mobility Centre that carried out the assessment. Do not hesitate to voice your own opinions during all these discussions.
Talk to other drivers. The disability motoring organisations
listed in the Helpful groups section should
be able to put you in touch with other people who use similar controls
to those you may be interested in.
Find an adaptation firm.
It is important to have controls fitted by a specialist. They need to be safe and appropriate for you and the car. Specialists are also more likely to make a neater job of it than someone who is unfamiliar with the equipment. They will also be able to maintain and check the controls for you (they are not checked as part of the MOT).
It may be worth contacting two or three adaptation firms by phone for a general discussion about what you need and what they can do. Try to get a broad idea of cost. Most have brochures. If you can, go to see them. Nearly nine out of ten people in our survey described the conversion firm they had used as good.
It is probably best and certainly easier to get all the adaptations you need from one firm. You can be reasonably confident that conversion firms will not try to sell you any equipment which is not right for you. In our survey over nine out of ten people were satisfied with the service they had received.
If you have not had an assessment the adaptation company will carry out some routine tests and discuss possibilities with you. They do not make medical judgements. If they consider that a medical opinion is needed they should tell you, and advise you where to go to get it.
If you are able to drive, the adaptation firm is likely to be able to provide, adapt or make controls for you. In the unlikely event that the equipment they suggest does not meets your needs, contact a Mobility Centre to see if they have come across a solution which may suit you.
The list of converters in the Addresses of adaptation
companies section was correct in the summer of 2004. If you are reading
this booklet much after this, Motability
have an up to date list of their accredited suppliers and
MAVIS and the other Mobility Centres
or the disability motoring organisations listed in the Helpful
groups section should be able to provide a list.
Try before you buy. This can be difficult in practice
and few people in our survey tried more than one control. Some
Mobility Centres have rigs which allow you to try out a range. Some
adaptation firms have a rig and most will have demonstration models of
the main controls they supply. They should also be able to show you equipment
being fitted to vehicles they are converting at the time of your visit.
Organisation od disabled motorists listed in the
Helpful groups section may be able to put you in touch with local
members willing to let you try out their controls.
Don't judge by price alone. You may find that a more
expensive control has features which far outweigh the difference in cost.
And a better control may make it much easier for you to drive with confidence.
Try after you buy. Try out the controls before you take
the car home, in case they need fine tuning. One person in our survey
recommended that you try and park the car as 'that should make any
problems obvious'.
If necessary, take the time to learn. A feeling of confidence
and being in control may take time and practice. Don't be put off trying
- most people end up driving without difficulty or anxiety. All conversion
firms will show you how the equipment they fit works. Some have space
off the public highway so that you can become familiar with it before
you drive on the roads.
Unless you are having only very minor controls fitted, try to get some
practice with a driving instructor who specialises in adapted vehicles
- details from a Mobility Centre.
Report Contents
Introduction
Starting
points
Standard
equipment that may help
Some features
you can find on new Cars
Good design
The controls
Seating
Primary
controls
Gripping
the wheel
Other ways of
steering
Controlling
speed
Changing Gear
Parking brake
Pedals
Advanced
controls
Secondary
controls
Combined
Controls
Maintenance
Custom building
Moving controls
Safety
Who can drive
& other useful information
Finance
Helpful organisations
Mobility
Centres
Useful
publications
Addresses
