Disabled motorists value the flexibility of motor transport and form an important and growing market. Disabled drivers rely on their cars for their mobility and as the population ages this will become more important. By 2015, it is projected that there will be 10,270,000 driving licenses for people over 60 in the UK. [i]

• 83% of disabled American adults use cars for transport [ii]
• Nearly all disabled motorists stated that they would find it very difficult to adjust without a car, compared to 86% of all motorists. [iii]
• Only 28% of disabled drivers said they would use the car less if public transport was easier; and, 61% said that they would not. [iv]
• 82% of disabled drivers stated that they had to use cars because public transport was inaccessible. [v]

Many disabled drivers do not require adaptations and purchase standard vehicles. However, 8,000 wheelchair adapted cars are sold in the UK every year. [vi]

The demand for specialist companies to undertake the adaptations is substantial. The modification industry is now a competitive and growing sector of automotive manufacturing.

More than 100 adaptation companies exist in the UK to provide equipment that enables disabled people to use standard production cars. [vii] Most of them work entirely independently of motor manufacturers, and many customers feel that more could be done to make their products look compatible when fitted to the carefully designed interior of a car. [viii]

A survey of drivers felt that they are the experts on their own abilities, but appreciated advice from those who knew about controls. [ix] The majority of drivers also stressed that it was important to consider the other people who used their car. [x]

• Since 1978, some 2 million cars, powered wheelchairs and scooters have been provided through the Motability Scheme. [xii]
• Today the Scheme purchases over 5% of all new cars, powered wheelchairs and scooters sold in the UK, via a national network of over 3,800 Motability dealers. [xiii]
• In the UK, over 1.7 million disabled people qualify for the Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance. [xiv]
• The most popular Motability option is the contract hire of a new car with over 90% of customers choosing this package. [xv]

Useful links

• Motability
• Ricability are an independent, UK based organisation publishing consumer information for people with disabilities and elderly people.
• Mobilise
• Forum of Mobility Centres
  

Sources

1. [i] 'Travel characteristics of older people' by Barbara Noble. 2000
2. [ii] National Highways Traffic Safety Administration.
3. [iii] RAC Report on Motoring, 2001.
4. [iv] RAC Report on Motoring, 2001.
5. [v]RAC Report on Motoring, 2001.
6. [vi] Linda Ling, Chair of the Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle Converters' Association (WAVCA). A 'wheelchair adapted car' means a car or small van that has been adapted to accomodate a wheelchair user who remains in the wheelchair in the vehicle as a passenger or driver
7. [vii] Ricability report 'Car controls' 2004.
8. [viii] Ricability report 'Car controls' 2004.
9. [ix] Ricability report 'Car controls' 2004.
10. [x] Ricability report 'Car controls' 2004.
11. [xi] Motability website
12. [xii] Motability website
13. [xiii] Motability website
14. [xiv] Motability website
15. [xv] Motability website