There’s nothing as refreshing to a disabled person as being able to drive their own cars to work, school shopping or other everyday activities that require one to drive. In order to help such drivers to gain this benefit, there have been a number of vehicle adaptations developed in the market. With these, every disabled person is able to find absolutely whatever they need to be able to drive. The following are the hand control adaptations available today:
1. Hand Controls for Controlling Brake Pedals and the Accelerator
In this category, there are adaptations which include radial hand controls, push and pull hand controls, as well as the car speed hand controls. Electric trigger throttle and Break Hand Control is a hand control system that can be pushed or pulled. Using just a small amount of force, this system allows drivers to use a handle incorporated with a trigger to control the throttle. For light control of the brakes of the vehicle, a handle can be pushed down, making it possible to control the brakes easily.
2. Hand Controls for Facilitating the gear stick use, car keys and hand brakes
If a driver has difficulties using the engine key start, the push button start hand control can be fitted on to enable them to ignite the car easily without using a lot of force. Automatic Gear Shifter can also be used for assistance in selecting Drive. This is done by modifying the Automatic Gear Shifter in order to meet the specific individual’s needs.
3. Hand Controls to Facilitate Steering Wheel Grip
Depending on the needs of each driver, there are lots of steering aids that can be fitted on the steering wheel to facilitate the driver’s grip on the wheel. The aids range from those that incorporate an infra-red system to the standard steering ball. The infra-red system allows the driver to use auxiliary switches which may include the vehicle light wipers right from the steering wheel. These aids can be used along with other hand controls for the driver as well as independently.
4. Hand Controls for Indicator lights
The main hand control for controlling the vehicle indicator lights is the indicator switch. This is often fitted on top of the driver’s hand grip. This is often used when carrying out tasks such as negotiating a roundabout. In this case, unlike the many tasks that a non-disabled driver would do, when negotiating the roundabout, the indicator can simply be toggled on the handgrip. These switches can be fitted on both non-multiplex vehicles and multiplex vehicles.
5. Hand Controls that Control the Driver’s Seat
Every disabled driver will need to have a special seat which they use while driving the vehicle. Such a seat is the Swivel Seat that gives the driver the ability to transfer to the driver’s seat from the wheelchair more easily. These seats are often controlled by electronic means using actuators and also gears. These allow the driver to slide the seat forward and backwards.
6. Portable Hand Controls
For the amputee and paraplegic, there are hand controls that can be carried in the can or van as a luggage. These can be installed in automatic transmission vehicles in a few minutes. They are designed for those with upper body strength that’s considered normal and have the ability of coordination. The hands are used to control them by pushing to brake and pulling to accelerate.
Conclusion
These are the general categories for vehicle hand control adaptations that are basically found for disabled drivers. However, the list is not exhaustive as there are many companies that are currently coming up with adaptations unique to themselves.
Recently had my fourth vehicle adapted by Paul At Pb Conversions.always does a first class job and with first class service & always easy to deal with. Thanks for the great service Paul from you and your crew over the years.
Kiran was very helpful today explaining some of the issues I had with my hoist, and how to avoid them from happening again.
Dealt with the adaptations for my son's new motability vehicle - very friendly, efficient and helpful. Really pleased.
Very helpful and knowledgeable engineer, fast and efficient service
Thank you so much for all your advice, help and very professional job on adapting our car. Without your advice I would never have known to apply for a grant. You were excellent, thank again.
Due to my husband's condition we need a car with adaptions, we were advised by his paraplegic group to visit and this place is the best. Felt so relaxed talking about what we needed, all the staff were so friendly and so well informed, going above and beyond, especially Paul Berridge. I fully recommend this business. Honest and reliable. Thank you.
Staff are super super friendly, helpful, extremely informative and really nothing Paul & Co can’t do to any vehicle. PERFECTION is their middle name! Thank you so much for your outstanding service to me over the years and I look forward to using your company all my driving life.
Excellent work done on our car and very professional company. Great customer service and prompt response to emails.
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