Vehicle Hand Controls

ACCESS SOLUTIONS

Your One Stop Source for Assistive Technology

If you are no longer able to drive a vehicle because of limited use of your legs or hips, then a set of hand controls might be your answer to reclaiming your car and your independence.

Hand controls mount underneath your vehicle’s steering column. By using a set of metal rods connected to the brake and gas pedals, the apparatus allows you a “feet-free” way to accelerate, slow down and stop a car with an automatic transmission. Hand controls sold by Access Solutions work with a vehicle’s cruise control, permitting the driver to keep both hands on the wheel when traveling at high, sustained speeds.

Instead of offering a single product, Access Solutions lets you choose between two world renowned models of hand controls – The 901 System by Automobility Manufacturing Corporation, and the Moto Mate by Creative Controls, Inc. Both the 901 and the Moto Mate are superbly engineered, but each follows a different design philosophy regarding the best way to install and implement hand controls. The experts at Access Solutions can explain the pros and cons of both models and help you decide which product best suits your car’s interior and your driving style.

The 901 System by Automobility

The 901 System Installed in a BMW 750 Closeup of strap

The 901’s most unique design feature is the way it attaches to a car’s steering column. Extensive product testing by the nation’s leading car rental agencies have refined a method to safely mount the hand controls without cutting or modifying the steering column or the under dash panel. The 901 accomplishes this by using a strong, slip-resistant nylon strap that tightly grips around the circumference of the steering column housing and provides an “outside” attaching point for the control handle. The 901’s metal rods connecting the control handle with the pedals are purposely bent, allowing the rods to clear under the dash without modifying the car’s interior.

The 901 uses a “push-pull” mode of operation, meaning the brakes are applied when you push down on the handle and the car accelerates when you pull back on the handle.

The Moto Mate by CCI

The Moto Mate Installed in a Mercury Mountaineer Closeup of cut out under dash

The Moto Mate’s main attach point is under the dash, where curved bolts are used to mount it around the steering shaft. This design, compared to the 901, allows the metal rods connecting the control handle with the pedals to be closer against the underside of the steering column and permits a different method of applying the accelerator. Instead of pulling back on the handle to accelerate, the Moto Mate uses a rotating action where the handle is pushed down toward your lap. To apply the brake, the handle is pushed toward the dash.

Depending on which vehicle is used, the Moto Mate can be installed with little or no modification. Because of its close-to-the-steering-column design, a hole must sometimes be cut in the lower dash panel. This opening allows the metal rod connected to the accelerator to move freely. Owners not wishing to have their car interior modified can have the panel taken off during installation and refitted if the Moto Mate is ever removed.