I got into an argument on another message board about paralyzed drivers. It rapidly became apparent that use able-bodied (more or less) types don’t know squat about what paralyzed people do and don’t have to deal with in getting a driver’s license in the US.
So… those in the know (and I know someone on the Dope has gotta know) if someone has a Terrible Accident and are now using a wheelchair instead of feet for getting around, what, if any, requirements/tests/whatever do they need to do that the rest of us don’t to get that driving privilege?
Entirely the reverse of your scenario (and in the UK to boot), but about 20 years ago there was a woman who lived near me who had been exposed to Thalidomide in the womb and had no arms. She controlled the steering wheel of her car with her foot.
I could very well be wrong, but I’d be somewhat surprised if there were any significant regulatory aspects to it. Why should there be? A paraplegic would use different controls to make their car go, but where they make their car go, how fast they make it go, which direction they make it go, etc. etc. etc. would presumably reflect the same traffic laws as everyone else.
At the very least wouldn’t they have rules about the equipment requirements (e.g. hand controls)?
I had a boss many years ago who had a handicapped son who drove a '70s muscle car with hand controls. My boss drove the car to work one day and showed us how the mechanism worked. He made an offhand comment that his son was legally allowed to use a spinner knob on the steering wheel.
This makes me wonder:
Are spinner knobs really illegal, or is this just something my mom told me?
If they are, then wouldn’t there need to be some legalese written somewhere outlining the requirements for being permitted to use one?
Yes, I’ve known a couple of deaf people who were required to have cars equipped with side mirrors as well as a larger than usual rear view mirror. I’ve heard of people having a restriction of “automatic transmission only” (in one case, a woman who had no arms and in another a paraplegic), and I would expect there could be a requirement for adaptive equipment.
Perhaps I am not phrasing my question properly (which might also explain why I had no luck with Google). Let me try again:
If someone shows up at the DMV in a wheelchair and says “I want my driver’s license” is there any additional testing hurdle for them to go through? For certain disabilities is the default “allowed to drive” or do they have to bring in some sort of statement that they are capable of driving? If someone is severely disabled and they are taking a road test would they be required to, say, demonstrate their capability to make an emergency stop or is it just a matter of “well, they didn’t hit anyone so they can drive”?
I have a friend who is wheelchair-bound and has the coolest mack-daddy minivan to get around in. He had to have the van BEFORE he could get his license. When you show up at the DMV for your driver’s test, you have to have a vehicle that YOU can operate, so if you need hand controls, extra foot controls, etc., then you need to have that car with you so you can take the test. You will be tested just like anyone else at that point and must demonstrate that you can operate the vehicle according to your state’s requirements, usually including paralell parking, emergency stop, etc. during the test.