The majority of accidents occur because of distracted drivers.  The rest are the result of recklessness, like drunk driving or car defects.  However, if you can drive defensively, you will be prepared for almost any dangerous situation.

Driving & Cell Phones

While it may seem obvious not to use your cell while driving, sadly many people still do it.  Teens are especially guilty, but not all adults are innocent either.  With that being said, you should make the assumption that all the people around you will be distracted.  And if you can see someone using a cell phone, you need to be even more cautious.

I hate to admit this, but even I myself was once guilty of talking while driving.  I thought I was okay because I used Onstar to make a hands-free call.   Boy was I wrong.   I ended up making a left turn during a blinking red light, an act that is illegal.  I did not get a ticket because there were no police around, but I still learned my lesson.   Never use your cell phone while driving, even if you are making a hands-free call.

Other Distractions You Should Be Aware of

Some additional distractions you should be aware of include: eating, using the radio, using a GPS system or being distracted with passengers.  Drivers of wheelchair vans should be especially aware of passenger distraction.

The risk of distraction increases based on your number of passengers.  The numbers range from 300 to 500%.  With that being said, you can quell distractions by putting a Do Not Talk to Driver sign inside your vehicle.  While it may seem unfriendly, this approach is used on school busses and other forms of public transportation.   It works really well because you do not have to embarrass your customers.  Whether you have 1 or 10 passengers, these signs emphasize the importance of letting the driver do his or her job.

The Different Strategies for Defensive Driving

When driving handicap vans, you should give yourself a visual lead of 12 seconds.   Observe everything in your environment.  You want to make a mental note of anything that could be a potential problem.

You should also take a close look at your traffic signs.  Many of them will tell you what hazards are on the road.  The pedestrian and hill signs are some examples.  When you see these signs, you know that you will need to slow down.

Additional Strategies

In a new environment, you should have a 4 second lead.  By doing so, you will reduce your gas while minimizing emergency braking.

To do this, you need to count 1, 2, 3 and 4 when the backside of the car in front crosses some type of fixed point.   A Stop sign is an example, though fixed points can also encompass physical obstacles on the road.

In any case, after the vehicle ahead passes its fixed point, you should stop counting.  If you were unable to get to 4, you are probably too close, so try and create more distance.   In my classes, I would teach my clients how to do this as passengers so they would feel more comfortable when doing it on the road.

There are people who think that left foot accelerators are not safe for any type of driver. These concerns were raised after some mobility equipment companies halted the sale of these devices. While there is no real evidence to prove that vehicles with left foot accelerators are unsafe, dealers have decided stop selling these vehicle in response to dozens of lawsuits filed against them by victims of accidents involving vehicles with left foot accelerators.

Experts in Driver Rehabilitation will tell you that the only challenge problem caused by these devices is the difficulty experienced by trainees when trying to get used to them. However, the device itself does not pose any danger. In fact, it is very useful for people who have right sided paralysis.

People who have used mechanical equipment such as stick shifts or hi-lo’s usually have an easy time getting used to left foot accelerators. However, drivers of handicap vans fitted with these devices often have to concentrate very hard when driving in order to avoid confusing between the brake and the gas pedals. During training, people with disabilities are known to confuse the two pedals when driving wheelchair vans with left foot accelerators.

Left Foot Gas Pedal Anecdote

Left foot gas pedals are very useful especially when a handicapped driver is approaching an intersection but the oncoming vehicles do not give way. The brakes can be used to avoid the vehicles from colliding. The right leg will provide the force required to push the brake pedal as hard as possible and stop the vehicle instantly.

Extensive training is required for those who wish to use vehicles fitted with left foot accelerators. These trainees must not be allowed to drive on the same roads as experienced drivers. However, after 7 weeks or more of rigorous training, these drivers can be allowed to drive on the same roads as other licensed drivers.

While most people consider left foot accelerators dangerous devices, the only time it poses a serious threat to other road users is when an unfit driver is driving a vehicle fitted with the device. New drivers should do a lot of practice away from other road users until they are ready to share public roads with experienced drivers.

Most teens receive enough basic training to drive a vehicle, but teens are overwhelmingly involved in traffic accidents. This is largely due to inexperience, but teens driving wheelchair vans face unique problems. As many accidents are related to misuse of both on-board and external technology, teen drivers seem to be especially ill-suited to using handicap vans.

At the same time, senior drivers tend have a great deal of experience. While they have fewer accidents than teens, these individuals often suffer from extreme overconfidence in their own driving skills. Age tends to dull reflexes, and even small accidents can be severely injurious or fatal due to ill health.

Unfortunately, the same factors that make teens and senior citizens ill-suited to driving are present in many individuals with disabilities. While these individuals may well have passed a driver’s course and are even licensed to drive with adaptive equipment, many are overconfident in their ability to drive in a new situation. It is wise that anyone driving a wheelchair van take the time necessary to acclimate him or herself to the experience of actually driving the vehicle.

As such, it is important to practice good driver safety. This means reducing the overall distractions in the vehicle, especially those brought by cellphones and musical devices. A driver that is more focused on the road is, after all, less likely to cause an accident. One should also take stock of the side effects of medication that is being taken, and determine whether or not it is actually safe to be on the road.

Finally, one should take the time to actually drive in a defensive manner. This means giving at least an 11 second visual lead time to the driver in front, and to make sure that cars in front are followed no less than four seconds behind. Doing so can give a driver more time to stop, and thus give drivers the ability to safely avoid an accident. It can be difficult to drive a wheelchair van, but doing so is the only safe way to be on the road. Overconfidence and distractions can be killers, but cal, defensive driving can save lives.

Always remember to concentrate fully on the road, and make sure that drive as cautiously as possible. Just because you are able to drive, after all, does not give you license to drive dangerously.

Wheelchair-Vehicle Interface

The interface with vehicle-wheelchairs pertains to how adaptable your car is from a safety perspective to your wheelchair, taking into consideration stability, convenience and safety as test factors.

You will also want to know how your wheelchair would fair in a crash test, to be sure that the chair or the van is as safe as possible.

ANSI and RESNA Standards

When wheelchairs meet the performance and design criteria put forth by the ANSI–American National Standards Institute–and the RESNA–the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Techology Society of North America, they are then identified as WC19. That designation tells that they were designed for use in a vehicle and passed rigorous testing.

The wheelchairs have four points for securing the chair quickly and easily with tie-downs. The goal is to make it convenient for your caregiver or yourself to follow the latest and safest procedures to ensure stability and safety when using the wheelchair as a seat in handicap vans, 7 or another vehicle.

WC19 Wheelchairs

If any wheelchair meets the standards of the WC19 testing, it has five advantages beyond wheelchairs that have not met the testing standards.

When riding in wheelchair vans or handicap vans, be sure that your chair meets the wheelchair vans crash test, and that you are secured in a wheelchair that is WC19 compliant.