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About disability cars also known as mobility vehicles and links to International and South African vehicle adaptations for
the disabled

Nowadays, having a disability does not stop people from leading a full and happy life, and more importantly, disabled people are now
able to be independent with the advance in technology and specially made activities. There is so much support for disabled people
that it is easier than ever for them to lead as regular a life as possible.
What is a Disability Car?
A disability car is a vehicle that has been specially adapted to meet the needs
of disabled drivers and passengers. Cars are not generally built from scratch
with disabled peoples concerns in mind so already existing vehicles are taken
and disability features are incorporated into them.
These features include things like wheelchair accessibility ramps for getting in and out of the vehicle ,hand controls for the operation of the
vehicle instead of foot pedals and wheelchair lifts to enable the driver to take
their wheelchair with them.The options for getting in and out of the car if the
driver is disabled include actually allowing the wheelchair to be moved into the vehicle. This is done through specially fitted ramps which extend from the
back or the side of the vehicle. Winch systems are also available to lift the wheelchair into the vehicle.
This is great if the disabled person is only going to be a passenger but if they
are also the driver allowing the wheelchair to be moved to the driving area of
the vehicle allows for full driving independence.
If the driver is unable to use conventional steering and power controls there
are other options available. The accelerator and brakes controls can be
adapted so that they can be used via pulleys or switches attached to
the steering column.Some adaptions can be easily removed to enable the
car to be driven in a standard way.
The makes and models of disability cars available to people with disabilities although some what limited do include some popular models from some well known manufacturers. There are specially built adapted vehicles from Peugeot, Fiat and Renault among others. These companies take existing models for vehicles such as the Fiat Doblo and the Peugeot Expert and AdPat them to
the drivers needs.
Article by By Calum Macleod. He writes for Allied Mobility, an adapted vehicles dealer