Renting Cars With Hand Controls For Disabled Drivers

Following some time-consuming adventures, I would like to share with the readers the experience of independent travel with disability abroad. Main points:

The disabled customer cannot rely on local travel agents and the reservation offices of the international rental companies. NOT AVAILABLE usually means either: don't know OR don't want to deal with it and take risk. Non-standard rental costs them more in communication and time, and they feel they can't charge the client for it. Agents specializing with disabled travellers usually push organized tours and cruises, not means for independent travel.
The best way to rent a car when travel agents give up is to contact the rental companies directly in the destination city or airport. The best way is communicating by fax (sometimes Email is also available). The numbers may be retrieved with the help of the phone company's operator or from Internet sites.
Consider using portable hand-controls system. One of the vendors (Lynx) also helps finding rental cars in various countries.
Availability in the USA seems to be the best, including adapted vans, RV's. Country-specific info is provided here for Europe, Australia, Southern Africa and North America.
The types of hand-controls offered by the companies are very different and strange in many cases. For the safety of the driver and to avoid unpleasant surprises there should be an international standard.
Beware of small (or local) rental companies. Some of them take advantage of the special needs of handicapped drivers. They offer old cars with hand-controls at very high prices, limit rental terms and offer bad service.
There are some alternatives for transportation abroad, but none is better than car-rental for independent travel.
Fax is better than phone because of language ''problems'' in many places. Fast written communication may save a lot of misunderstandings. In some cases even E-mail may work.
Usefull info may be retrieved with the help of your embasies in the destination country, ministry of work/welfare there, handicapped organizations etc. I found an adapted car in Spain with the help of our embasy in Madrid.
PARKING is a problem in many cities. In developed countries there are reserved spaces for disabled. Some of them are intended for regional badge holders only (e.g. London, UK). In most places I visited an improvised handicapped sign () with a note like ''disabled tourist'' is OK with most (not all) policemen. On the other hand, since some countries suffer from ussge of faked badges, using an improvised may lead to unpleasant incidents.
Please read also the following note from Carol Randall:
There have been many advances in opening up travel opportunities for persons with disabilities. One such advance benefits the increasing numbers who wish to take driving vacations in Europe.
In 1997, the European Conference of Ministers of Transportation (ECMT) passed a resolution that will make it easier for persons with disabilities to operate private vehicles in Europe. When travelers park, they display a document that shows the international symbol for persons with disabilities, as well as the name of the holder of the document. Starting January 1999 a traveler in a ECMT country with a parking document can get the same parking facilities as a citizen of that country, provided the traveler is from an ECMT member country or from an associated member country. Since an increasing number of motorists with disabilities are coming to Europe from the United States and Canada, the resolution recognized parking permits issued to drivers from these countries as well. (Taken from the spring issue of the Canadian Transportation Agency's publication ''Moving Ahead'').
A very detailed page about parking for disabled British drivers outside the UK is provided by the UK Department for Transport.
In the ~~Blue Badge Scheme~~ document from Essex (UK) the following text was found:
```
A system of reciprocal arrangements exists, under which disabled visitors from the
participating countries can take advantage of the concessions provided in the host country
by displaying the badge issued under their own national scheme.
As of April 2000, such reciprocal arrangements exist between:

Austria Germany Italy *Norway Belgium Greece Jersey Portugal Denmark Guernsey Liechtenstein
*Spain Finland Iceland Luxembourg Sweden France *Ireland Netherlands.

No schemes currently exist in Gibraltar, or Yugoslavia.
*Although there are no formal reciprocal arrangements with Norway, Spain or the Republic of Ireland,
but it is understood that they will respect the disabled parking badge of this country when displayed,
it is suggested that application is made to the visiting country
and that badge holders take their current badge with them.
```
An updated document about reciprocal arrangements in the EU was published by the OECD/ITF in April 2009.
The province of Nova Scotia (Canada) has specific Reciprocating States Regulations with specific USA states and Puerto-Rico.

In Bermuda it seems that no badge from abroad is respected. The private site ''Bermuda`s Disabled and Physically Handicapped Parking scenario'' says:
```
There is no requirement for Bermuda to honor any disabled parking permits from any country, unlike in
Canada, USA, UK and Europe where there are reciprocal agreements.
```
I would like to suggest that the UN will design a unified disabled parking permit (badge) that will be issued and recognized by all UN members. The badge should be personal (not containing specific car's number). It must contain some elements against counterfeit. See the EU Parking card info page.
In some countries (including the USA) the common method of refueling the car is self-service. In extreme cases there is no attendant at all or there is only a cashier who is not allowed to get out of his/her post. This is a severe problem for disabled drivers. In some cases the disabled driver simply can`t do it. In marginal cases he/she may compromise on safety and spend a lot of time and efforts on this (usually) simple operation. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is aware of the problem but offers no solution when the station is ``operating on a remote control basis with a single employee``. An example of the problematic situation is given in a ~~complaint of a disabled driver in Miami~~ and another discussion. A good exception seems to be a law in New Jersey and Oregon banning self-service based on safety considerations. An interesting partial solution is available in Nova Scotia, Canada with the nice map. See also the UK practice.
Even without disability, there is a serious risk of fire from static electricity, as reported and explained in the PEI `Stop Static` site. Since we can`t change the world in a few months, here a some ideas to deal with this situation:
1. Prefer a Diesel car with a large fuel tank to reduce frequency of visits to gas stations.
2. Stations on highways (autoroutes, autobahns, autostrades) are more likely to have full service option. It may be more expensive, but usually negligible relative to other travel expenses.
3. Some gas station offer full service only during working hours.
4. Never travel with tank below (e.g.) 1/4.
5. Avoid help from strangers in some regions.
6. Avoid letting small children refuel your car.
When concentrating several days in a single city (especially London, New-York, Rome, Tel-Aviv and Paris) consider giving up the car and rely on taxies and other alternatives. In London taxies and even some buses are adapted for disabled persons. You may find it even cheaper and advantageous, since it forces you to mix more with the local crowd. Parking is very hard in the above-mentioned cities. Some cities offer wheelchair-adapted buses.
When possible, avoid flights if the distances permit travel by car. Airport procedure and car replacement may take a long time. ince Sep. 11 2001 security is tighter and screening may be unpleasent (to say the least) for disabled persons. Warning: verify insurance limits and availability of breakdown services when taking rented cars accross borders.
Upgrades are very nice for most drivers, but may be problematic. Upgrading from a spacious Opel or Ford to a sporty BMW or Golf may be fun to drive, but hard with a wheelchair or difficult to get in with long legs.
Beware of hand-controls with manual gearbox! Why do most companies offer popular manual cars and only expensive automatic models?
Many persons with right leg injury need left gas pedal (linksgas in German). Very few rental companies offer it upon request, it is not mentioned in most Web sites and brochures (with the possible exception of Mietauto (Switzerland) and Budget of The Netherlands). A good idea may be to get used to hand-controls as the last option. The reason behind this difficulty was explained in PayLess car-rental site. It said, among other things:
```
Because many vehicles in rental service are obtained under re-purchase programs
or as leased equipment, it may not be possible to provide disability equipment
that is either permanently installed or involves permanent alteration to a vehicle,
such as left-foot gas pedal extensions. 
```
On the other hand, SpinLife says that:
```
Avis equips its cars with Kroepke hand controls which offer
left-foot gas pedal and dual brake controls. 
```
It seems that above lines were written in January 2000, so check with Avis if you need left gas pedal.
Pedal extension is an adaptation for short-statured people or with back, hip, or knee problems. Portable extensions are offered by Easy Rider Pedal Extenders.
In 1993 the UN issued ''The Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities''. Among other things they say: ''States should initiate measures to make places for recreation and sports, hotels, beaches, sports arenas, gym halls, etc., accessible to persons with disabilities... Tourist authorities, travel agencies, hotels, voluntary organizations and others involved in organizing recreational activities or travel opportunities should offer their services to all, taking into account the special needs of persons with disabilities.'' They also say that ''Although not a legally binding instrument, the Standard Rules represent a strong moral and political commitment of Governments to take action to attain equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities''...

General Car-Rental and Travel Advices.

Following tips, which are not specific to disabled drivers, are important for persons who rent cars for the first time or travel to a new destination.

Insurance

Insurance is a very tricky subject. In some cases the basic rental rate seems to be very reasonable, but when you come to pick up the keys, they offer an insurance cover you can't refuse, otherwise you may be liable to pay huge sums to a third party in case of accident. If you take this cover, it may double the total fee. In a certain case I found that if the car is rented most of the time, the insurance alone may cover the price of a new car after 2 years or less. It seems that in the USA the situation may be even more complicated for a non-American visitor.

Rates

Rates change from country to country even in the same class and car-rental company. In Europe some borders are open, so it may turn out cheaper to rent a car in a central European country and drive it to the desired destination. A possible exception is a very short business mission. Automatic transmission is considered luxury in Europe.

Car-related crime

Car-related crime is a problem with various levels of risks. Don't leave money and valuable things in the car. A station wagon/van without original luggage cover may also be a problem if you leave suitcases there. In some places you'll get a list of warnings and suggestions with the keys. Road-rage (driver's violence) exists even in some civilized countries. Avoid conflicts with other drivers even when you feel you are right.

Air Condition

Air Condition is considered luxury in most Europe. Driving a black car without air-condition in hot summer days may not be pleasent even in northern Europe. This is especially true for those who wear braces and other equipment.

Mobile phone

Mobile phone may be a good idea as a kind of insurance in case of breakdown, accident or other problems. Price range of ''air time'' is huge and should be checked close to travel date. Avoid usage while driving. In some cases cell-phones are cheaper to use than coin (or credit-card) operated public phones or hotel phones! Check also coverage in your destination. There may be no service in rural areas.
It is advisable to prepare in the phone's memory a list of taxi and breakdown service phone numbers. Some taxi companies keep the caller on-line so much time that the call costs more than the taxi ride. Check your exact location (street, building name/number) before calling them.

Please feel free to contact me at: Pictorial address given to reduce spam

. Usefull information will be included in future versions.

Disclaimer:

1. The author has no commercial interest in any of the mentioned companies.
   Their name / links are given only as illustration and service to
   potential customers.

2. Some companies may have discontinued or changed services.
   The author takes no responsibility for consequences of such changes.

3. The author takes no responsibility for any mis-haps occuring while
   using the above-mentioned services.

4. The author will add reference to any relevant services brought to his
   attention in the coming updates to the site.
   
5. The author cannot test all the services mentioned here personally.

Notes:

URLs tend to be moved or removed temporarily (communication problems etc.) or permanently. When I detect a dead link I mark it with (??) or ~~overstrike~~. When problem persists and no alternative link found, I remove it.
The author cannot test all the services mentioned here personally. Readers are encouraged to share their experience with the author for the benefit of other readers.
The site is listed in YAHOO transportation resources for disabled persons and other databases.
The available search engines display mostly sites in English when keywords are given in English. If you speak another language, please search and let me know about relevant URL's.
A comprehensive alphabetical index is maintained by the author.
The site has minimum graphics and no Java to enable fast load using any browser and modem combination. It can be viewed also with the textual Unix/DOS browser lynx.
Due to a severe problem of SPAM (junk-Email), I removed all the usual address links. They are replaced by pictures with the printed address. Sorry about the inconvenience.

Address:

.

Revised: 2/2010.