Disabled Motoring UK - Disabled Motoring UK is the charity for disabled drivers, passengers & Blue Badge holders.

In this article from 2008, Sally Roe reported on the disabled motorists competing in the first UK karting championship using hand controls.

The Disabled Karting Championship team

Recently Helen and I were invited by Mobilise member Kumar Moorthy to attend the ‘Disabled Karting Championship’ at Cannon Raceway in Birmingham, to have a go on the adapted karts and to meet some of the drivers and organisers working to make this fantastic sport accessible to all.

Kumar is the brains behind the Disabled Karting Championship, and in 2006 he persuaded Keith Jauncy, the owner of Cannon Raceway, to pay for ten of his karts to be converted into hand controls. Since karts have no gears, the controls consist of a fairly rugged push-pull accelerator / brake lever, which leaves the other hand free to steer the kart. Continue reading »

Mobilise member Daniel Anderson-McIntyre reviews the Nissan Note Tekna 1.6

Regular readers of Mobilise will remember my passion for Vauxhalls, but this month I am reviewing the other car I drive regularly, my fiancée’s Nissan Note. This is the top of the range Tekna spec with the 1.6 16-valve engine.

From the outside the Note looks quite long, tall and narrow and you might expect it to drive much like a van, but once on the road you find that the Note handles like a car. The driving position is higher than most, comfortable and offers a great view of the road all round.  The wheelbase is long with the wheels right at each corner which makes for great stability and a massive amount of useable space inside.

The Tekna comes with automatic lighting and wiper systems, alloy wheels, privacy glass, climate control, front fog-lights, flex board system, under-seat storage, cooled glove box, 6 disc CD changer, auxiliary input and a Bluetooth hands-free connection. Continue reading »

Mobilise member Sally Hyder had despaired of ever finding a suitable vehicle to transport her large family and all their kit. She tells us about her quest to find the perfect Motability car for her and her tribe.

“I need a car that will carry me, my electric wheelchair, three children (one of whom is disabled), my husband, an au pair, an assistance dog, a trumpet, a harp and hockey kit!” This was the opening gambit that began my conversations with car dealers during my quest for that perfect car – and often that was the end of that! The responses varied enormously, from “Motability cars should not be used as family vehicles” to a comical “Not all at once… unless you want to buy a lorry?” Continue reading »

2008 saw the 60^th anniversary of the launch of the Morris Minor, and 2009 marked a very happy 50^th birthday for the Mini. Jim Rawlings raises a toast to two British classics.
Few cars engender more genuine love and devotion in their owners than a Morris Minor. The development of the  Minor has given rise to many stories, some apocryphal but some more reliably documented. Sir Alex Issigonis’ own recollections are particularly interesting. He described the final refinements of the design process thus: “I wasn’t very happy with the final version, so I went to the shop one evening and told the mechanics to cut it in half!” The original prototypes were 57 inches wide, but Sir Alex ordered the two halves to be moved apart until he felt the proportions were right. This added four inches to the width of the car – and a reminder of this decision can be seen on all Morris Minors, in the flat strip that runs down the centre of the bonnet. Continue reading »

Mobilise member Jill Brown relished the freedom that having her own vehicle gave her – but after nine years in her trusty Ford Courier it was time for a change. After test-driving several other vehicles she discovered the Mercedes Vaneo WAV; and it was love at first sight!

I have a Complex Myopathy and Osteoporosis and because of my disability am not allowed to drive. I wear a firm neck collar, various other supportive splints and can only walk short distances using a rollator.  However I have a wonderful team of friends who drive me and my assistance dog Yates when we need to go further than I can travel in my Pride Jazzy electric wheelchair. I thoroughly enjoy the freedom that having my own vehicle provides. As well as attending hospital appointments etc Yates and I regularly travel to concerts as well as enjoying days out at the beach and other places of interest. Last year we had two holidays in Cornwall which added a good few miles to our total, although my average annual mileage has only been about 3000 miles. Continue reading »

Mobilise member John Jewitt reviews his new accessible motorhome, the SeA CPT.

My wife Pat and I have often considered buying a holiday home somewhere in the sun, but have never found anywhere we would fancy continually returning to. When our daughters were younger we were keen caravanners, and so the idea of buying a motorhome to tour Europe in to look for a suitable holiday pad arose. We decided that once we had found somewhere we liked, we could then use the motorhome to commute there.

I began my search on the internet but although there were quite a few used accessible motorhomes available they were all adapted for a disabled passenger. Continue reading »