Disabled Drivers and the Rules of
the Road
Advances in design and technology in recent times have
enabled many disabled motorists to get behind the wheel either for the first time or after sustaining an injury. These fantastic advances include things
such as hand controls for accelerating and braking, electronic handbrakes,
left foot accelerators and joysticks for steering.
Wheelchair accessible vehicles, available from companies
including Allied Mobility, allow wheelchair users to
easily access automobiles whether they are a passenger or driver, which means
that they no longer have to use public transportation which is not up to
standard.
Are the Vehicles Safe?
This has transformed the lives of thousands and allowed
them to live independently, but do these modifications have any bearing on the
rules of the road and are these adapted vehicles as safe to use as a standard
automobiles or do they lead to speeding and accidents?
Learning with an Adapted Automobile
Those with a disability must undertake a driving test -
the test may see the motorist drive differently, but they must still drive to
the same high standard in order to pass and the test will be exactly the same.
There are driving instructors that specialize in teaching disabled individuals
to drive, where they will learn with adapted controls. If the user passes their
test, the DVLA will arrange for a license which states that the user is only licensed to operate a modified automobile.
The exact modifications will be noted, whether it is modified transmission,
steering or braking, and acceleration systems. Provided the motorist is driving
a vehicle they are licensed to, it is no more dangerous than any other car on
the road.
Insurance
In terms of insurance, insurers are not allowed to refuse
disabled motorists or charge more under the Equality Act (2010). The
restrictions on the license will be taken into account, but this does not
justify a higher premium. The only reason that a higher premium will be issued
is if the user is adjusting to a new disability or to cover the cost of
repairing an adapted vehicle.
Statistics
Statistics show that it is young males and
those driving in a work-related capacity that is most likely to speed
excessively, whilst a large percentage of accidents are due to drinking driving
and the motorist using their phone whilst driving. No statistics show that
adapted vehicles are involved in a high percentage of speeding incidents or
accidents.
It is for these reasons that the rules of the road are
exactly the same for disabled motorists. Some may think that operating an
automobile that has been modified is unsafe, but the user will have learned to
operate the automobile this way and be qualified to drive it on the roads.