Wheelchair Access Vehicles: The Careful Buyers Resource

The reason for having mobility vehicles is in order for disabled people to be able to get about without having to rely on dial a ride or public transport. There are several varieties of mobility vehicle and out of them all, the ones with rear access doors are more common. By converting a vehicle into a mobility vehicle, the aim is to achieve an improvement in both safety as well as comfort for the disabled passenger.

Out of all the variety of mobility vehicles that are available on the market, the small mobility van is proving to be one of the most popular types. Due to the increase in demand for these speciality vehicles, the major car manufacturers are producing custom made vehicles.

A mobility vehicle has a lot of features many of which you will not find on an ordinary car. The access ramp is probably the most obvious of features that any mobility vehicle will possess. They come as two kinds. One is an electrically operated ramp and the other is operated by a winch mechanism. The ramps can access the vehicle from either the side or back depending on the vehicle construction. Lifts are also available in the larger mobility vehicles making entrance to the vehicle even easier.

More regular features of any mobility vehicle include tie down lugs for tying the wheelchair down and passenger seat belts for the safety of people other than the disabled person traveling in the mobility vehicle. Most mobility vehicles are available with power steering and an automatic transmission. The only other thing to mention is the additional sensors and seating in some mobility vehicle models.

Essentially, there are two predominant categories of mobility vehicle. One is where the disabled person is located in the vehicle housing and is driven by someone else and the other is where the disabled person them selves drive the mobility vehicle with the aid of several custom made controls to allow them to do that.

Another special feature of a mobility vehicle is the raised roof or lowered floor of the vehicle that is needed to permit entry to the vehicle by the disabled person. If the disabled person is particularly tall, then special attention will need to be given while selecting the right kind of mobility vehicle. Width wise, most mobility vehicles will be okay as almost all wheelchairs are made to an industry standard.

As you can tell, there is a lot of thought needed when looking to buy a mobility vehicle and the above is only an outline of what to consider. As purchasing a mobility vehicle outright is a big decision, leasing one may be an option that would be worth your while considering.