In today’s day and age physical disabilities no longer need to be a barrier to driving a car. Where traditionally a vehicle needed to be operated by utilising both the foot pedals and the hand controls (steering wheel and gear stick) new advancements now mean that pedals no longer need to be used.
An automatic vehicle would, for example, be able to be driven while only using one foot, and there are how many adaptations for drivers who may only be able to use one arm, or those who are unable to use their legs. These systems work on normal cars but have also been utilised by professional rally drivers and ‘drifters’. The level of car control required at these levels highlights how well modern hand control systems work.
Everything You Need To Know About Hand Controls
The car’s throttle, brakes, and the clutch on a manual car can now be controlled by hand with push-pull levers which are either mounted on the steering column or the floor, depending on driver preference. An adaptation is also available for manual cars which engages the clutch automatically when the gear stick is used, meaning a car owner doesn’t have to be forced into selling their car and buying an automatic.
Alternative steering systems are another adaptation that you might need to consider, and these include basic modifications to your car like adjusting the strength of the power steering assistance or fitting a knob to the steering wheel to allow it to be used with one hand, right up to replacing the wheel with another wheel of a smaller diameter to make it easier to operate.
It’s very important that when choosing hand controls for your vehicle you have a proper assessment and fitting to ensure that the controls are perfectly suited for you and give you total control of the car at all times. The fitting will make a comprehensive list of your requirements and provide you with a tailored solution that suits your needs. It is even possible to have portable hand controls designed should you drive different cars regularly as the system can be swapped from car to car as required.
Many companies can modify your car to work with hand controls that include systems from simple push-pull levers and twist-style moped accelerators right up to touch screen operation and even voice control. The sky is truly the limit. Alternatively, if you lease a vehicle through a Motability scheme hand controls are often able to be fitted at no extra cost at the beginning of your lease. Because of the nature of hand controls and the possibility of there being too many controls to operate at once. Steering wheel adjustments are also often made to the indicator, wiper, and light stalk devices to ensure easy operation at all times.
If you would like to find out more about how we could help you, give our friendly team a call on 01525 850588 or head over to our contact page for more details.
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.
Would you like an assessment?
If you are a disabled driver, or know a disabled driver in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire or Northamptonshire, please contact PB Conversions for a free no obligation quote to assess what products would benefit you.