Auto Body Excellence

NHTSA Works on New Technologies to Help Disabled Drivers

The role of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a bureau within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), is to protect drivers, passengers and pedestrians while saving lives, preventing serious injuries and thereby reducing economic costs due to road traffic accidents. To achieve all of these things, the NHTSA conducts programs all over the country, featuring educational sessions and sharing their research, safety standards and enforcement activity with the general public, including disabled drivers. It's a great organization and that's why we respect the NHTSA at Auto Body Excellence, because we often hear about their work in Poway and throughout the state of CA. 

As part of their amazing mission, the NHTSA regulates any modifications that are performed on vehicles used by people with disabilities. They act as the watchdog and a gatekeeper on every accessory or safety feature added or subtracted any vehicle made in the U.S. At Auto Body Excellence, we have worked on cars driven and/or owned by disabled people, so we know how important the work that the NHTSA does, here in and throughout the nation.

Automotive technology has made all of our lives' easier and by developing new safety systems to protect and enable people as they drive, it has open up a whole new world of transportation for disabled drivers all over the world.  To maintain their freedom on the road, disabled drivers and passengers are now safer than ever before, according to studies conducted by the NHTSA.

New and existing adaptive technologies are coming out all the time to give more opportunities for people with disabilities to operate vehicles both comfortably and safely. Many of these adaptive technologies are as basic as swivel seats for handier access. Others, such as hand controls, may be needed for disabled drivers to safely drive. If you are a disabled driver, the chances are very good that adaptive equipment is available to support your special driving needs while enabling you to retain the freedom available to you out on the roads and highways of this country.

All of the information about the NHTSA and its mission concerning disabled drivers, passengers and pedestrians is on the organization's website at www.nhtsa.gov. All of the content on this site is based on the experiences of driver rehabilitation specialists and other related professionals that work in conjunction with people who require adaptive devices for use in their cars.

On the NHTSA website, there is a lot of helpful information for disabled drivers about how to evaluate your requirements. The first step is to make certain that the vehicle “fits” you properly; selecting suitable features, installing them properly and knowing how to use all of the adaptive devices are also very important. It also includes a lot of general information about things like cost savings, licensing requirements, and organizations to contact for more assistance. Although the material focuses primarily on drivers of modified vehicles, each section also contains important information for people who carry passengers with disabilities.

Of course, we always want everyone to be safe and comfortable out on the road, so we applaud the fine work that the NHTSA is doing on behalf of disabled drivers!

Sources: NHTSA.com, Drive and Huffington Post