Motorists

If you’re a motorist you’ll find information about driving, driving lessons and parking permits below.

Specialist insurance company providing insurance for Mobility Scooters, Wheelchairs and other disability and mobility equipment.

More info here.

If you’ve every struggled to find Blue Badge Parking while you’re out and about you’ll know how handy these apps can be.  You can search for parking nearby and with a few to choose from you’re sure to find one to suit your needs.

These can be downloaded on your mobile phone from your App store simply by typing in ‘Blue Badge Parking’

The Blue Badge scheme provides a range of parking benefits for disabled people with severe walking difficulties who travel either as drivers or passengers.  You can apply for a new badge here.

Have you been out and about and struggled to find a car park? Frustrating isn’t it?

The guys at The Disabled Parking Accreditation have put together this great map which shows your nearest car park or lets you plan before you go.

Find out more here.

Driving adaptations can make a huge difference to your motoring experience. They may enable a person to drive where it would otherwise not be possible, and can help with speed control, steering and signalling. They vary from simple attachments, to replacing all existing controls with a system individually designed for you.

Motability have a range of adaptions available as well as a search function to find your nearest installer.  For more information check out their website here.

As a registered charity, Driving Mobility accredits a network of 20 driving assessment centres covering the whole of the UK. Many with outreach facilities, these centres include independent charities and NHS centres which offer professional information and assessment so disabled and elderly people can gain or retain independence.

More info here.

Disability Driving Instructors provide a “one stop shop” to help disabled people get impartial advice about how to start to learn to drive, how to return to driving after accident or illness and how to keep driving safely.  They have created an easily accessible online register of specialist driving instructors.

DRIVING AMBITIONS GRANT

The Driving Ambitions Grant is aimed at helping children/young adults get started as drivers.

The grant is only for young people with no experience of driving. If driving lessons have already started you may want to think of an alternative grant. Family Fund cannot help with ongoing driving lesson support.

Whilst they cannot help with ongoing driving lessons, the grant can help get your child/young adult started with a combination of:

  • Provisional licence
  • Theory test
  • Learning materials e.g. Highway Code or Theory Test booklet/DVD
  • Your first taster lesson
  • Funding towards Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) for moped riders

To apply for the grant and for more information check them out here.

INDEPENDANT LIVING FUND

ILF Scotland’s Transition Fund provides money, for up to one year, to support young people living with disabilities to improve their lives.  The purpose of the Fund is to help young people, between the ages of 16 and 21 living with disabilities, with the transition after leaving school to be more independent.   The money can be used for things like art or music lessons, a device or piece of technology to help you with your impairment, driving lessons, and training courses. For more information click here.

MOTABILITY

If you are a Motability customer, the charity may pay for up to 40 hours of driving lessons.

Help with the cost of driving lessons (Motability)

If you’re not a Motability member, there are disability driving instructors who can help you.

 

 

Driving Mobility is a nationwide network of independent organisations. All of our centres offer professional, high quality information, advice and assessment to people who need to gain or retain independence through mobility.

You can attend whichever Centre is the most convenient for you through a recommendation by your GP or healthcare professional. Alternatively, some Centres enable you to self-refer.

Although independent, the Centres are recognised by other mobility organisations including Motability and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) both of which refer their clients to Driving Mobility assessment centres.

For more information see their website here.

You can apply for exemption from paying vehicle tax. The vehicle must be registered in the disabled person’s name or their nominated driver’s name. It must only be used for the disabled person’s personal needs. It can’t be used by the nominated driver for their own personal use. For more information on eligibility and to apply, please click here.

With over 345,000 electric vehicles (EVs) and in excess of 650,000 plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) on UK roads at the end of October 2021, it’s fair to say the nation is adopting the transition towards a cleaner means of travel. But how accurately does this represent the relationship between EVs and those with accessibility requirements?

Check out this great guide from the guys at Autotrader for information and resources on driving an EV vehicle with a disability.

Click here for more information.

The Disability Insurance Specialists – Insurance products for those with pre-existing medical conditions, mobility issues and disabilities.

Check out their website here.

Simple, Easy Refueling for Disabled Drivers.

Helping disabled drivers find and get assistance refueling their cars.

More info here.

You must tell DVLA if you have a limb disability.

You can be fined up to ÂŁ1,000 if you don’t tell DVLA about a medical condition that affects your driving.  You may be prosecuted if you’re involved in an accident as a result.

CAR OR MOTORCYCLE LICENSE

Fill in form G1 and send it to DVLA, the address is on the form. Or call 0300 790 6802.

BUS, COACH OR LORRY LICENSE

Fill in form G1V and send it to DVLA. The address is on the form. Or call 0300 790 6802.

DVLA might ask you to take a driving assessment.  The assessment is free under the NHS, although a referral from a doctor is required, giving brief medical details relevant to driving before an appointment can be arranged.  The waiting time for this can be lengthy so please arrange this as soon as possible.

Department for Transport (DfT) road casualty statistics show that in 2022, nine mobility scooter users were killed and 270 were injured in collisions on the UK’s roads.

“Mobility scooter users are very vulnerable, particularly when travelling on the roads, and, unlike cars and other vehicles, the driver has little protection in the event of a crash.

As part of the Safer Mobility Campaign, Surewise has produced a free mobility scooter safety guide and is giving away a free sticker pack bundle to make mobility scooters more visible. The free guide and sticker pack can be requested here: www.surewise.com/safer-mobility

“Our Safer Mobility Campaign is dedicated to raising awareness, advocating for improved safety measures, and providing resources and support to enhance the safety of mobility scooter users on our roads.”

Surewise are also one of the most competitively priced mobility scooter insurance providers in the UK at just £38 per year with no excess.  Pop on over and check them out.

The Motability Scheme enables disabled people to get mobile by exchanging their mobility allowance to lease a new car, scooter or power wheelchair.  To be eligible to join the Scheme, you need to receive one of the following mobility allowances and must have at least 12 months’ award length of your allowance remaining.

  • Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (HRMC DLA)
  • Enhanced Rate of the Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment (ERMC PIP)
  • War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
  • Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)

Family members or carers can drive the car on behalf of the disabled person covered with insurance for up to three named drivers. Servicing and breakdown assistance all included and car adaptations are also available.

With the Motability Scheme you can simply exchange all, or part of your mobility allowance, to lease a brand new car, Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV), Scooter or Powered Wheelchair.  Your lease will run for 3 years and includes, insurance, service and maintenance, a range of adaptions where needed, full breakdown assistance and up to two named drivers for cars and WAVs.

You can request for information about the scheme to be emailed to you here or if you prefer it posted just click here.

CHARITABLE GRANTS

Motability can provide Charitable Grants towards:

  • Vehicle adaptations – such as wheelchair hoists and Infra Red controls.
    Find out about grants towards Scheme vehicle adaptations
  • Vehicle Advance Payments – often for larger, more expensive vehicles on the Scheme.
    Find out about grants towards Advance Payments
  • Driving lessons – make the most of your independence and learn to drive.
    Find out about grants towards driving lessons

The NABD is the world leader in the field of motorcycling with a disability.

It is able to offer financial assistance towards the cost of special adaptations for motorcycles, scooters, motorcycle/sidecar combinations and trikes.

Grants can range from ÂŁ250 to ÂŁ2,000 depending on the type of machine and the needs of the rider.

Applications for funding will only be accepted from those living in the UK, Eire, Isle of Man and the Channel Isles.

For more information email: office@thenabd.org.uk

www.nabd.org.uk

This service offers driving assessment and/or advice for people who wish to commence, resume or continue driving after illness or injury, and also advises on vehicle modifications to enable safe driving or passenger travel for those with a disability.

Further details can be obtained from:

Marlene Mackenzie
Manager
Scottish Driving Assessment Service
SMART Centre
Astley Ainslie Hospital
133 Grange Loan,
Edinburgh, EH9 2HL

Tel. 0131 537 9192

Email: Marlene.Mackenzie@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk

Website: https://www.smart.scot.nhs.uk/driving-assessment

 WavsGB are a dealership based just outside Bath but have customers from all over the UK. They specialise in Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles and offer a Home Demonstration service (within 200 miles or on a case-by-case basis). They also offer alternatives to home demonstrations such as filmed and live demonstration videos.

They have vehicles available from all major makes and with different sizes, features and seating configurations.

As well as selling used wheelchair accessible vehicles, WavsGB also offers them for hire on a daily or long-term basis and again they have customers all over the UK who have used their long-term hire service.