FITTING OF HAND CONTROLS
Fact Sheet Number 3
If your car is being adapted so that it can be driven with hand controls, it is vitally important to have them professionally made and fitted for both convenience and safety. It is important to have the hand controls fitted by an adaptation specialist who is familiar with the type of control system being fitted to your car. You need to be confident that the controls have been safely and correctly fitted because you will be relying on them for the operation of the brake and accelerator.
As well as the comfort and safety aspects, you need to think of the fittings in relation to the bodywork of the vehicle itself. This is another reason for having the work carried out by an adaptation specialist who should be able to keep any permanent alteration to a minimum. Always ask the adaptation specialist how the work being carried out might affect car warranties or structural integrity.
It is also essential to have your hand controls regularly maintained and checked. Hand controls are not checked as part of the standard MOT test, so it is up to you to take your vehicle to a reputable garage, or to your hand control manufacturers or the adaptation specialist, to have the adaptations inspected when the car is serviced on a regular basis.
A list of Hand Control and Car Adaptation Specialists is available under the section "Useful Contacts" on this website, but please note that inclusion on this list does not infer approval by the Forum of Mobility Centres.
MARCH 2008