The Safe Driver

Tips on how to safely drive a wheelchair accessible vehicle

**A contributed post as written for The Safe Driver by Dolly Allen.

Whether you’ve gotten involved in a collision or acquired a sickness that left you permanently in a wheelchair, you’re not letting your disability get in the way of driving a vehicle. Since asking other people to carry you from your wheelchair to the driver’s seat can be bothersome, you either had your old one made wheelchair accessible or simply decided to simply buy a brand new one instead. But as operating a wheelchair accessible vehicle is a bit different from doing the same in a regular one, you’ll want to read on for some tips on how you can safely drive one so that you can go from point A to point B without getting disabled yet again:

1. Secure your wheelchair to the vehicle properly so that you won’t tumble and fall while driving.

When you get inside your wheelchair accessible vehicle, your tendency to tumble and fall once you drive is greater. After all, unlike the usual driver’s seat, your wheelchair isn’t a permanent part of the vehicle itself.

• Thus, you’ll want to fasten your wheelchair first into place once you’re inside your wheelchair accessible vehicle before you can start driving it.
• There are three ways to secure your wheelchair inside your wheelchair accessible vehicle, namely non-retractable tie-down, retractable tie-down, and automatic docking system.
• But as you’re the driver of your wheelchair accessible vehicle, you’ll want to have your wheelchair secured into place with an automatic docking system instead.
• An automatic docking system only involves a metal rod attached to the bottom of your wheelchair and the locking mechanism itself attached to the vehicle’s floor – particularly the spot where the driver’s seat is.
• All you need to do is steer your wheelchair until the metal rod meets the locking mechanism. Once you hear a click, it means that you’ve successfully secured your wheelchair inside your wheelchair accessible vehicle, though you’ll have to do the next tip as well.

1. Always wear a seatbelt and head restraint.

Your safety is of paramount importance once you step inside your wheelchair accessible vehicle. Thus, safety mechanisms like seatbelts and head restraints are a necessity to protect you in case you get caught in an accident.

• Even if your wheelchair is already locked into place once you’re inside your wheelchair accessible vehicle, you’ll want to secure yourself as well. Thus, you’ll have to use a three-point unified seatbelt system that fastens both your torso and thighs into place.
• Aside from a three-point seatbelt, you should have your wheelchair fitted with a head restraint to support your head and neck as well as prevent sustaining post-accident whiplash injuries.

1. Drive your wheelchair accessible vehicle more carefully when traveling on roads with speed bumps, or completely avoid them if possible.

Compared to a regular one, your wheelchair accessible vehicle has a slightly lowered floor so that you can easily set either a ramp or a lift on the ground which you’ll then use to enter and exit.

• However, once you drive your wheelchair accessible vehicle, you may come across a raised speed bump that can damage your vehicle’s floor upon contact.
• If there are alternate routes you can take to your destination that aren’t as riddled with speed bumps, you should take those instead so that your wheelchair accessible vehicle’s floor wouldn’t get damaged.
• But if you don’t have any choice other than to tackle a speed bump along the way, you should drive a bit slower than usual and gauge if the speed bump isn’t making contact with your wheelchair accessible vehicle’s floor. You shouldn’t drive too slowly though as it can ruin your vehicle’s floor the same way as when you’re driving along a speed bump at normal speed.

1. Bring someone you know who’s a fellow driver to operate your wheelchair accessible vehicle for you if you don’t think you’re fit to drive at all.

Even if you’ve successfully driven your wheelchair accessible vehicle around town the first time around, it doesn’t mean that you can safely drive it all the time, especially as you have to accept the fact that you still aren’t a non-disabled driver.

• Good thing then that some wheelchair accessible vehicles come equipped with transfer seats which one can pull from the driver’s seat position to the back and swivel at an angle where you can easily move from your wheelchair to the seat itself, thus eliminating the need for an automatic docking system.
• A transfer seat looks very much like a regular one too, so even non-disabled drivers can use it.
• If you feel like your body isn’t up to the task of driving your wheelchair accessible vehicle, especially for long drives, you should invite someone you know for a ride and let them operate your vehicle instead as long as it has a transfer seat instead of an automatic docking system.

According to the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association, more than four million Canadians suffer from some disability. However, being a part of that statistic doesn’t give you an excuse to stop doing things that non-disabled people do like driving, especially now that you can do it using a wheelchair accessible vehicle. But regardless if you’ve had your old vehicle turned into one that can accommodate your wheelchair or you bought a brand new wheelchair accessible vehicle instead, learning how to operate it may pose a challenge to you. Thus, you’ll want to drive it safely, and the above-listed tips can help you accomplish that so that you can reach your destination safe and sound.

If you’re in search of wheelchair accessible vehicle providers, you can click here for more information.

Dolly Allen

Dolly Allen loves to help those in need and aspires to one day become a career or nursing student. She loves to write  about health and has written for many health related websites. She enjoys spending time with friends and family.