Hand Controls, Left Foot Accelerators, and Driving After Things Change

Losing the ability to drive is, for a lot of people, the loss that hurts most. It is also the one most often assumed to be permanent when it is not.

What the equipment does

Hand controls. A lever arrangement that operates the accelerator and brake by hand. The most common adaptation there is, and for somebody with reduced leg function it is frequently the whole answer.

Left foot accelerator. A second pedal positioned for the left foot, for somebody who has lost the use of their right. The original pedal is usually guarded so it cannot be pressed by accident.

Passenger brake. A second brake on the passenger side, for an instructor or a family member. Common when somebody is returning to driving after an injury.

Steering aids. Spinner knobs, tri-pins and other devices for somebody who cannot turn a wheel hand over hand.

Transfer and turning seats. Powered seats that swing out and lower, so getting in is a sit rather than a climb.

The evaluation comes first

A driver rehabilitation specializt assesses what somebody can actually do, on the road, and recommends the equipment. That happens before anybody fits anything.

This is not bureaucracy. NHTSA’s adapted vehicles guidance is built around it, and there is a straightforward reason: the equipment that suits somebody depends on strength, range of motion, reaction time and endurance, and none of those can be judged from a conversation.

We work from that recommendation rather than around it. If somebody arrives asking for hand controls without an evaluation, we will explain why we want one first.

Can everybody else still drive the car?

This is the question families actually ask, usually last and quietly.

Yes, in almost every case. Hand controls and left foot accelerators are designed so the vehicle operates normally for other drivers, and most are removable. In a one-car household that matters enormously, and it is worth confirming for the specific equipment being fitted.

Licensing

Your state may add a restriction to the license reflecting the equipment, and there is usually a test. That is a normal part of the process rather than an obstacle, and the driver rehabilitation specializt will walk you through what your state requires.

Will it affect the warranty?

Properly fitted equipment from established manufacturers does not generally affect a vehicle warranty, though we would not ask you to take our word over your dealer’s. What we will do is tell you exactly what we are fitting and how, in writing, so you can put that to them.

Training is not optional

NHTSA is explicit that training on new equipment is part of the process. Driving with hand controls is a different motor skill, and the time to learn it is not on a motorway.

Expect several sessions. People who skip this are the ones who end up not using equipment they paid for.

Maintenance

Adaptive equipment needs servicing like anything else. Cables stretch, fixings loosen, and a control that has developed play is a control you cannot trust. Our service page covers vehicle equipment as well as home equipment.

If driving is not the answer

Sometimes it is not, and we will not pretend otherwise. Where that is the case, a transfer seat or a scooter lift keeps somebody traveling as a passenger with their own equipment, which is a great deal better than being stuck at home.

Smaller items that help with getting in and out, transfer boards, swivel cushions, grab handles, ship free from our online shop.

Mechanical or electronic

Mechanical hand controls connect by rods and linkages directly to the pedals. Simple, robust, repairable, and they need reasonable arm strength. For most people this is the right equipment.

Electronic controls replace the mechanical link with a servo, for somebody with very limited strength or range of motion. Far more capable and far more expensive, and they belong in a specification written by a driver rehabilitation specializt rather than chosen from a catalog.

Push-rock, push-pull, push-twist

Mechanical controls differ in how you brake and accelerate. Push forward for the brake is common to all of them; what varies is the accelerator, which may be a rock of the handle, a pull toward you, or a twist like a motorcycle.

Which suits somebody depends on wrist mobility and grip, and it is a real fitting decision rather than a preference. Trying them is how it gets settled.

What it costs, honestly

An emergency brake extension is a very small job. A set of mechanical hand controls fitted properly is a modest one. Electronic systems and full conversions are an order of magnitude beyond both. NHTSA puts a new vehicle modified with adaptive equipment at $20,000 to $80,000, which is worth knowing before anybody starts at the top of that range.

If the driver is a veteran

The VA runs an automobile adaptive equipment program, and we are a federal contractor and approved vendor. We cannot tell you what will be approved, only what we have been contracted to supply. Our veterans page covers how that reaches us.