If you or a loved one suffers from a disability which impairs the ability to drive a vehicle, you understand the struggles of keeping up in such a mobile society. Although it seems as though everything is automated and run by gadgets, much of this ever-advancing technology has demonstrably improved the lives of those with disabilities, including their ability to drive vehicles.
Automobiles can be legally adapted in a variety of ways for drivers with disabilities. Foot pedals can be raised or even replaced with hand-controlled devices, and other adaptive hand controls can adjust both acceleration and braking. Generally speaking, there are two categories of adaptive automotive devices: those of the first type “provide an external source of power to actuate existing vehicle controls,” while the second involves “modified OEM components to alter the operation of vehicle control systems” to reduce necessary effort.
There is also the “Swivel Seat,” which helps the driver to “easily transfer from their wheelchair in a van’s center section to the driver position,” and the “Turny Orbit,” which “rotates, comes out of the vehicle, and lowers toward the ground, eliminating the climbing and twisting normally required to enter a higher vehicle.”
Here are some recommendations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to help disabled drivers make the best decision when purchasing an automobile:
- Large interior door handles
- Adjustable foot pedals
- High or extra-wide doors
- Oversized knobs with visible labels
- Support handles to assist in exit and entry
- Seat-adjusters which can move the seat in all directions and raise the driver’s line of sight to three inches above the adjusted steering wheel
- Dashboard-mounted ignition as opposed to steering column-mounted ignition
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident due to another driver’s negligence, contact America’s Consumer Lawyer for a free consultation. We are a Chicago-based injury law firm representing individuals (and their families) who have suffered an injury in an accident. We will handle your case quickly and advise you every step of the way, and we will not hesitate to go to trial for you.
Lastly, America’s Consumer Lawyer is not paid attorneys’ fees unless we win your case. Our no-fee promise is that simple. You have nothing to risk when you hire us – only the opportunity to seek justice.
