General Chat

I had a driving instructors years ago that taught disabled drivers and he had an adaptation on the steering wheel where it all came apart and you could drive just using your kness.
Brilliant idea he actually won an OBE for his adaptations to his car for disabled drivers.

David, have a look at this site. The link opens on the page about driving after an amputation, but there is lots more to look at.

It tells you the cost (in 2012) of the various modifications you can have, which is useful. I hope you find something which will help.

http://www.ricability.org.uk/content/car-controls-help-people-amputations

Thank you for your help Rollo & Barbra. I'd thought that the tracks that the drivers seat
rides on could be extended so that the seat moved further back, but that would necessitate putting blocks on the pedals so that right foot could reach and operate the pedals. The transmission would have to be automatic (after 40 years of manual shift)
My legs are shot, especially the left, but with the necessary adaptation my driving
ability is the same (41/2 years out of practice)

David there are sites were you can get ex mobility cars low millage & fully serviced from new ..they should only be three years old .maybe with adaptions included .there are so many deals at garages ,it can get confusing .AA approved sites were you get some guarantee worry free motoring .good luck with your search Barbra ,

Modification of anything to do with the steering invalidates EU type approval and thus invalidates insurance. fwiw most of the boy racer lowered suspensions fall fould of this rule giving the boys in blue ample excuse to hail them away.

Insurance companies hate mods whatever the reason. Mods must be disclosed and usually push up the insurance. The cheapest way to get insurance is through a broker not DirectLine, Admiral , GoCompare etc.

If you want an extra foot of legroom compared to the average Fiesta, Corsa or whatever just get a bigger car - it is ez to pick up a Mondeo Volvo or Saab in good nick for around £ 700. No mods needed. If you srping a little bit more for the Mondeo Ghia X you will get heated seats and electrical seat adjustment on top.

nb: Saxo, Corsa small Peugot are v likely to have been abused by young drivers so unless you have a proven history not involving drivers under 30 avoid. The Fiesta is safer as it is seen as a mum's car, uncool. Not great on legroom though.

If you are not a candidate to join WheelerDealers take a friend who really knows his stuff to view any aged motor. Avoid diesles as maintenance costs a bomb if you want to be street legal.

If your credit rating and cash flow is not too bad another approach is a personal lease. These will give you a new car for three years at a charge of about £ 220 / month which covers insurance etc. At the end of the lease your options are to return the motor, buy the motor at residual and have the option of a replacement. Right now it is extermely easy to get a new car on this basis but the Bank of England has plans to tighten up so if it appeals don't delay. btw no mods allowed of any sort.

Moving to a big city with decent public transport is of course another option eg London, Sheffield, Nottingham,.

Thank you for your contributions. Because my leg is straight I would need a modified car because otherwise my foot would be on the dashboard.
The plastic that surrounds the steering column, if that was removed I'd have another foot of leg room, but the removal is probably neither practical or legal
I asked my insurance company about this and the guy at the other end of the
phone didn't know what I was talking about :-S
Would it be a modification or an adaptation ? is it practical and legal ?
Wondering sometimes if I should just surrender my drivers license :-(

You can pick up cars for less than £1,500, Rollo

4 yrs ago, off gumtree, we got a Fiesta with a low mileage for £350, as a stop gap car. It's proved a great little car that has taken us on many trips and once regularly serviced, has been very good. It did need a new battery last week but that was becsuse it was the original battery from 'birth', 16 yrs! and finally gave up.

Then last summer we got my car, another16 yr old Fiesta, for £500, via gumtree. It had less than 48, 000 on the clock, and after a major service, sailed through the M.O.T. last month and is a great little car. Our regular mechanic says it should go another couple of years without anything major needing doing.

That's not to say mobility cars shouldn't be available for over 65s

Liz

The Shopability van-mini bus picks you up from home, David. See if there's one in your area.

Nice thought Joy, but the bus stop and Metro station are far beyond
my reach, whereas driving can take me anywhere.
I must have been lucky I guess.

David, they'll want you to use your bus pass I expect.

However, does your area have a ring and pick-up-from-home mini bus or van that takes older and physically less-abled to shopping centres? Shopability scheme, I think.

It is possible to buy a used car eg Clio in good cond for about £ 1 500.
Running vosts are approx £ 40 pa MOT £ 400 ins ( will drop to under £ 100 with ncb), annual maintenace about £ 300 and tax about £ 120.
or about £ 1 000 p.a.

Most pensions will support running a small car but if you are relying on the state pension only or don't have your own funds than it is a bit of a non starter.

Modern Britain is increasingly unfair to all age and income groups (other than the filthy rich) the squeeze on getting around is just one aspect.

happy Christmas

Seems that's why you don't qualify then david and not your age

We didn't qualify for a disabled Bay outside the house because hubby didn't have certain allowances that were means tested
He got the higher rate of carers allowance as it wasn't means tested
His ability to access the garage in the back garden seemed to be on what his income was rather than his mobility
We could have really done with a disabled parking space outside the house

In addition to my state pension I receive a disability allowance, but not the enhanced.

afaik DLA has been replaced by PIP.
The conditions for a motability car have been made a lot tougher such that thousands of people have been forced to give up their cars.
The money saved has been useful for financing other means of transport such as HS2, David Davis RAF flights to Brussels and Liam Fox world wide junketing for a pit of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Better check it out again David.

Have they got it right David because googling brings this up



About the Scheme
If I'm over 65, can I still join the Motability Scheme?


You can apply to join the Motability Scheme if you are aged 65 and over and you receive one of the following allowances:

Enhanced Rate of the Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)
You must have at least 12 months remaining on your allowance when you join the Scheme. Unfortunately, the Attendance Allowance cannot be used to lease a car through the Motability Scheme.

Motability Operations Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference number 735390.
Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information.

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Following a serious crippling accident in 2013 Ive been looking forward to back

on the road having been a motorist for 40 years. I phoned Motorbily about

access to one of their cars. The girl on the phone asked my age. I told her. She

immediately told me I'm not eligible !! I am 72 years of age. I thought, obviosly

in error, that the older the likelihood of their need of a Motability car.

The age restriction, carved in stone, is 65 years of age.

Personally I think this restriction is unfair. Am I alone ?