“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?”

I have been driving for over 20 years, using hand controls for the last eight. I have Multiple Sclerosis and my last car, an elderly Ford Galaxy, was in need of retirement. I was struggling with the push/pull hand controls and the weight of the car, and knew it was time for a change.

I began my quest armed with a lot of optimism but little knowledge. At that point I had no idea how the Motability scheme worked, and had not a clue as to which adaptations might be appropriate.

Doing the research

My first port of call was Mobilise. I signed up for membership and, by reading the magazines from cover to cover, I began to get a feel for what sort of options there were out there.

I was quick to realise that living in Scotland complicated matters. Actually getting to see or try out different adaptations was extremely difficult. I could attend my local driving assessment centre (which had a three month waiting list!) to see basic hand controls, but when I wanted to have a look at an accelerator ring I was told that “the car with that on comes in March and September”! For a while I thought I would have to buy untried and cross my fingers!

I was able to “test passenger” (rather than test drive) lots of cars, but I just couldn’t find the right one: it was a bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears! They were either too high, too low, or the seats were too hard, too soft – but nothing was ‘just right’.

The perfect fit?

However, our Eureka moment came when we least expected it! We had hired a car on a day out and were given a Citroen C4. I loved the bucket seats, I stayed in one place when going round corners, and my husband said it drove really well.

The next day I contacted Citroen Edinburgh and met the Motability specialist Keith. We quickly worked out that, because of the shape of the boot door the only model suitable for taking my wheelchair was the Picasso Grand people carrier. I had lots of questions about the Motability scheme, which Keith was able to answer; it was only at this point that I realised that the down payment that you have to make on the more expensive cars on the Motability scheme was not a deposit and that sadly we wouldn’t be getting it back!

The next day I went for a test drive as a passenger. Keith brought the car to me and we went out. During the drive I really made him put the car through its paces. I was particularly suspicious of the Electronic Parking Brake. This is situated on the dashboard.  The Picasso is a sequential automatic, which means that (for example) when doing a hill start you need to use the brake, the car will not creep forward slowly as in a full automatic. I asked Keith to do a number of hill starts for me, I operated the brake and found the built-in three second delay before movement more than adequate to take control of the car.

The larger windscreen gave excellent visibility and I discovered cruise control – definitely a plus for those of us on hand controls! I still thought the ring accelerator was the way forward but was a bit stunned at the prices. However, Keith put me in touch with Paul from PL Mobility Solutions. He came round the next day to demonstrate the hoist and discuss adaptations. He said that the accelerator ring was a completely different driving experience and suggested using a left foot accelerator pedal. I wasn’t convinced but he put me in touch with a driving school, Drive me Bananas, who had a car fitted with the same adaptations.

Which one’s the brake?!?

They duly turned up and took me on a lesson. After a few gentle stops and starts I started to drive using this and loved the experience. It was so much more relaxing. However, there was one problem which my driving instructor had anticipated! He made me reverse my car into the drive. Fortunately he had his foot on his brake! Apparently lots of people who learn to drive before moving on to hand controls are “hard wired” in our brains so that when reversing we tend to stamp on the accelerator rather than the brake! Therefore, foot pedal and hand controls were ordered so I can mix and match.

I am now waiting for my car. Paul has been round already to put the lifting bar onto my wheelchair, which is very neat and small. The only part of the process I found really difficult was going to the non-accessible Job Centre Plus to get the CP50 form and sign it. Until I have my Motability car I wouldn’t be able to get there independently – but of course, I can’t get my Motability car until the form is signed!  My family and I are all really excited about the new car, and I’ll be updating you in a future issue of Mobilise to let you know how we all get on – or, more to the point, whether we can all get in!

Further information

Drive Me Bananas

0131 660 2587
121 Waverley Crescent
Bonnyrigg
Midlothian
EH19 3BW

Drive Me Bananas offer lessons in the Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian areas. They have an adapted automatic vehicle with hand controls, steering wheel knob, power steering / cruise control & a left-foot accelerator.

Motability

0845 456 4566 / 0845 675 0009 (Minicom)

www.motability.co.uk

This article first appeared in the June 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

Blue Badge holders face insults and intimidation when trying to park

Results of a recent Baywatch survey show that not only do disabled people have trouble parking at the supermarket but also face verbal abuse if they dare to question a non Blue Badge holder.  These are just a few of the comments noted by Baywatch participants who surveyed their local supermarkets for Disabled parking.

“I can’t count the number of times I’ve been sworn at or threatened with violence whenever I have spoken to a non Blue Badge holder.” Mr Harrison, Doncaster

“What used to be disabled spaces are now ‘parent and child’ spaces and the parking attendants are rude and threatening to any disabled people trying to park in what used to be their bays. Members of the public are worse. One outraged mother threatened to break my windscreen and let down my tyres while I was in the shop. Her “toddler” was about 12 years old!” Anon, York

“I asked a man if he knew he was taking up a disabled bay he said “Yes, but why should you get better parking?”

When I tried to explain I have difficulties walking and need that space he said “Why don’t you just f**k off and stay at home then?” Thomas, County Durham

“I always have difficulty finding a disabled parking space. Sometimes I have to go to another supermarket.” Miss Taylor, Yorkshire

But it’s not all bad news.

The winner of the 2010 survey was Sainsbury’s. Although they still had an average level of parking abuse of 16%, we were delighted that almost half of our surveyors reported 0% abuse in Sainsbury’s car parks.

Well over half of those who visited Sainsbury’s reported that there were signs up warning that people using the accessible bays without a Blue Badge would be fined. And it’s not just window-dressing. Sainsbury’s Customer Service Director Jacki Connor said “Last year we introduced a nationwide scheme of monitors to help keep our disabled bays open for those who need them. It is great to hear that they are having a real impact.”

The worst supermarket for parking abuse was Tesco, where almost a quarter of all accessible bays were being used by people without a Blue Badge. Although Tesco claim that they are starting to enforce bays at some of their supermarkets, only a measly 10% of people reported any sign of this.

A Tesco spokesperson said “We favour the carrot not the stick. The great majority of our customers observe the policy well.”  This was a nearly identical statement to that issued in 2007 when they also told Mobilise that they “preferred the carrot not the stick”.

Helen Smith, Director of Policy & Campaigns for Mobilise, was unimpressed. She said “It’s disappointing that neither Tesco’s policy or statement seems to have changed, despite bay abuse getting significantly worse – surely that carrot must be long past its sell-by-date now?”

Asda was the first supermarket to make a commitment to fining abusers of their disabled bays. In 2007 they were joint worst supermarket with Tesco with 23% of their bays being used by people without Blue Badges, but since Asda introduced enforcement this has dropped to 19.2%.

Disappointingly, Morrisons, who came top of the last Baywatch survey with just 13% parking abuse, has seen a significant increase to 17.2% of its bays being used by non-Blue Badge holders.

baywatch since 2005

Enforcement works

This year’s Baywatch survey shows that enforcement does work, with a measurable improvement at those stores where it has been introduced.

Helen Smith said “In order to see real improvements for their disabled customers supermarkets need to do more than just put up signs – they need to practice active enforcement as well.”

It’s not acceptable for supermarkets to pass the buck on to their disabled customers by refusing to monitor their bays. Instead, supermarkets should ensure that disabled customers can come in and shop – without fear of intimidation.

Further Information:

Helen Smith, Director of Policy & Campaigns for Mobilise, is available for interview. Contact her via the Mobilise National Office on 01508 489 449 or enquiries@mobilise.info

1. What is Baywatch?

The Baywatch Campaign is run by a coalition of disability organisations: Mobilise, Disability Now Magazine, and The British Polio Fellowship.

It aims to encourage supermarkets to enforce their bays and keep them free for the people who really need them, and to raise awareness of the problems experienced by disabled people who cannot park near their destination due to parking abuse.

2. What is parking abuse?

Accessible parking bays (also known as disabled bays) should be for the use of Blue Badge holders only – disabled people who display the Blue Badge in their windscreen.

3. Who surveyed the car parks?

Over 550 disabled people carried out the survey in their local supermarket car parks.

They counted the number of accessible bays, and the numbers of cars parked in those bays without displaying a Blue Badge. They also reported on whether individual stores had any visible enforcement mechanism in place.

Before joining Mobilise, I served a full military career in the British Army, taking part in operations all around the world. I learnt an awful lot about people during my career and was able to gain a greater understanding of mankind from my interaction with people from all walks of life and various nationalities, often in difficult and traumatic circumstances.  This experience has given me a very positive outlook on life and I bring that positivity with me to Mobilise, which I hope will rub off on those I work with internally within the organisation and also those I meet representing Mobilise outside the organisation. The wealth of experiences I had during my army career – some good, some bad – has stood me in good stead for facing the challenges that lay ahead, including those that face Mobilise and I am confident that we will not only face up to those challenges, but successfully overcome them and drive the organisation on to even greater success.

At the end of my army career in 2003, I joined St Dunstan’s, a charity that supports blind and severely visually impaired ex-service men and women. I became involved with St Dunstan’s whilst still serving in the British Army after my friend was blinded during an operational tour in Bosnia. I did some voluntary work with St Dunstan’s before joining them as a full time member of staff in 2003.

One of the things that attracted me to Mobilise was the outstanding amount the organisation has achieved in the past and the bright future Mobilise undoubtedly has. The campaigning achievements are simply outstanding and have benefited people with disabilities across the UK immensely over the years, and I know that we will continue that vital work long into the future. The charity has a feel of success about it and is leading the way in promoting mobility for disabled people.

The greatest challenges that face Mobilise today are to increase its membership and raise its profile. I will be working closely with the Board of Trustees on how we are going to achieve this. I hope you will all play your part in helping us grow our membership and raise our profile, which will give Mobilise a stronger voice and influence, which of course in turn, will benefit our members. I hope to meet as many Mobilise members as I can face to face and listen to your views and ideas. I am especially interested in what you think Mobilise should be focussing on and what you think are the hot topics that Mobilise should look at. I am always open to new ideas and new ways of approaching how we can achieve success, so if you feel you have some good ideas, please do not keep them to yourself, let us know them and let’s see where that takes us.

I hope to meet many of you at the regional forums that are planned for our members throughout the UK. The first of these is taking place on Saturday 13^th March 2010 at the Days Hotel, Mill Hill, London (click here for more details). If you are not able to get to the first forum, or live too far away, all is not lost as there will be others later in the year. We are looking at venues in the North of England, Scotland, the West and Wales and Northern Ireland. Details of these will appear in future issues of Mobilise magazine. I do hope that you will be able to make it to one of these and I look forward to meeting you there.

I have already had the opportunity to get to know the team here at Mobilise HQ and I must say they are a dedicated, committed and hard working team who are doing their utmost to provide our members with the very best service they can.  The spirit in the team is high and there is now a positive vibe buzzing around HQ as we all look to a bright and successful future for Mobilise.

However the boss of Morris Motors, Lord Nuffield, was far from keen to produce the Minor. Sir Alex recalled his reaction on being shown the prototypes: “He was furious. He called it a poached egg, and everything under the sun! ‘We can’t make that!’ he said, and walked out. I wasn’t even there at the meeting; in fact I only met him twice in my life. The second time was eleven years later, when we’d made a million Morris Minors. Then he had the grace to thank me.”

Despite these inauspicious beginnings, production of the Minor was to continue until 1971, making it the first British car to exceed a million units –in total over 1.6 million were produced. There were several changes along the way – the original “lowlight” Morris Minor had its headlights mounted in the front grill (which were eventually moved to the front wings because of American lighting regulations) and a distinctive split windscreen. Development continued with many improvements in engine size and design, expanding to include many body types including convertible and commercial vehicles and the famous timbered Traveller.

A special standard two-door model was produced for “Disabled Persons” which used the engine from one model and the transmission from another. Fully adjustable front seats were mounted on sliding runners, and there was provision for a fire extinguisher to be fitted. Other options included swivel and fully-reclining front seats.

We asked our members to write in and share their memories of driving these early accessible vehicles. They may be a long way away from the hi-tech adapted cars and ‘WAV’s available today, but many of you had some wonderful memories to share.

The  Morris Minor was widely remembered as being reliable and easy to maintain. Brian Palmer remembered his cream Morris Traveller as being “a good little work horse that earned its keep going to and from the wholesalers”. Mrs P M Putland described several adventures in her trusty Minor, including a 7,700 mile, six-month, 10 country tour of Europe, including snow-covered mountain passes. Her 1958 Minor certainly earned her description of it as “a fabulous little car”!

A Mini Revolution

In response to the increase in “bubble cars” on British roads (itself in response to the Suez fuel crisis of 1956) the British Motor Corporation instructed Sir Alex Issigonis to produce a car to drive the Bubble car off the road. “Revolutionary” is perhaps an overworked expression, but it certainly applies to the Morris Mini-Minor (the Mini) which clearly demonstrated his automotive philosophy – to provide a vehicle that carried the greatest possible payload in the smallest practical space.

The Mini was launched in 1959 and stayed in production until 2000, selling 5.25 million units. The great innovation in design was to devote 80% of the car’s ten-foot length to passengers and luggage, with the remaining 18 inches allowed for the engine and gearbox. This was achieved by turning the engine sideways and mounting the gearbox under the engine driving the 10-inch front wheels mounted at the corners of the body. Along with the use of a new form of rubber suspension, this wheel positioning gave the Mini legendary agility; after being tuned by John Cooper the Mini won the Monte Carlo Rally three times.

Although not an immediate success, the popularity of the Mini took off when celebrities ranging from the Queen to Norman Wisdom began to purchase the vehicles, and the Mini quickly became a symbol of the “swinging 60s”. A rare, if not unique event, in that something so practical should become a fashion icon.

I drove one of those!

Throughout the 1960s Mobilise Vice-President Denny Denly reported in depth on the running costs of the Mini as well as his experiences of promoting it in the USA and demonstrating it to Stirling Moss, around the streets of Mayfair, using the latest hand controls.

Denny and family with their trusty Mini

The Mini was described by several of you as having a “Tardis” quality – and this was true of Denny’s, even if the boot lid had to be tied down to accommodate the family’s luggage and wheelchair! Denny admitted this did result once in a bag of nappies falling out and being distributed along the recently opened M1 – whereupon a following motorist stopped, collected them up, overtook and handed the nappies back. Not a good deed to be attempted on the motorway today!

John Sidebottom and his new wife spent their first week as newly-weds in a tiny caravan on Hadrian’s Wall, not quite sure why their teal-blue Mini Clubman smelt of fried onions. The mystery was solved on the last day when they discovered that some wag had tied an onion to the exhaust manifold!

Mrs V Upham wrote that her blue Austin Mini was her “pride and joy – it took me to many places and gave me a wonderful sense of freedom”. Minis were also praised for keeping members mobile in all weathers. Richard Schofield’s wrote “I often left stranded cars and motorists behind when we had good old-fashioned winters! – the Mini just kept going!” Mr D Field’s Mini also stood up well to the Yorkshire snow: “I usually managed to get to work in our Mini, despite a low ground clearance due to those ten-inch wheels! The Minis were much more rugged than they looked.”

However, Mr W F de Haan did point out that his Mini had one major fault: “If you were driving the car in heavy rain it was most likely that suddenly the car would stop! This was caused by water in the carburettor and you had to wait for an hour or so before the engine would start again!”

One of the family

The greatest pleasure that many disabled motorists experienced for the first time in their Minors and Minis was not having to endure the “solitary confinement” of the trike. Mr W Davies wrote that the red Mini Mayfair – his first ever car through the Motability scheme – changed his life “as before if I wanted to go anywhere I had to go alone.” Jenny Sunley told us “My mini was bright yellow and such fun to drive, and it was so much better being able to take passengers!” Indeed, some of you seem to have tested the Mini’s capacity to the limit. Tony Sargent, who received his first Mini from War Pensions HQ after a parachuting accident, wrote “I soon became a taxi service for my mates – many a time we had four in the back, two in the front and my wheelchair in the back with the lid open to fit it in!”

It was obvious from your letters that both Minis and Minors were held in great affection, and were eventually replaced with sadness and regret. Joan Clayton’s story seemed to sum up the emotions that these cars inspired. She told us “Once I had married and had my first baby I applied for my first ‘ministry Mini’ – it changed my life! I went on to have a daughter too and the Mini carried on being my best friend… my love affair with the old girl lasted until the early eighties when we finally had to get a bigger car. Happy Birthday Mini, and thank you for some memorable years!”

Thank you to all those members who contributed their experiences.

This article first appeared in the June 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

A recent survey (motoring.co.uk) said that 20% of women and 30% of men have blindly followed a satnav into the middle of a field, and Network Rail has experienced damage to railway bridges and level crossing collisions as a result of drivers’ failure to use their initiative.

Peter Rodger, IAM Chief Examiner, said: “Satnavs can be a real aid to road safety, providing the driver already has an idea of the route. “Your satnav aids your own navigational abilities. It should not replace them. Have a map as a fall back and remember satnavs are no more infallible than the person who uses them, so do have some idea of your route before you set out.”

Although there is currently no legislation for the correct use of satellite navigation equipment, the police have a number of offences they can apply if they believe the driver to have been ‘driving without due care’ or ‘failing to have proper control’. These could result in endorsements of between three and nine penalty points on your licence.

The Department for Transport is currently looking at whether there is a need to change the legislation covering powered mobility vehicles. This is because currently mobility vehicles are covered by several pieces of legislation, the most recent of which is the “Use of Invalid Carriages on Highways Regulation 1982.” The legislation is now over 25 years old and in that time there has been a steady increase in the number of these vehicles. Current estimates suggest there may be around 300,000 in the UK. There has also been an increase in the number of reports of injuries to pedestrians, including some deaths.

Existing regulations

In spite of being mechanically propelled, powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters are not regarded as being motor vehicles for the purposes of Road Traffic legislation and users are exempt, from many of the obligations of other road users.

There are two main classes of mobility vehicle: Class 2 can legally travel up to 6.4kph (4mph) on pavements and are allowed on the road to cross from one side of the road to the other.  The unladen weight of a Class 2 vehicle should not exceed 113.4 kilograms. Within the category of Class 2 vehicles some are more suited to indoor use as they are smaller and more compact.

Class 3 vehicles generally have features similar to Class 2, but tend to be larger and can be used on the roads where they can travel up to 12.8kph (8mph) although they should be fitted with a speed limiter which the user is supposed to turn on when driving on pavements. The unladen weight of a Class 3 vehicle should not exceed 150 kilograms. Class 3 vehicle users do not require a driving licence but should obey the Highway Code at all times. Class 3 vehicles must be registered with the DVLA and are required to display a “nil value” tax disc.

The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 restricts both Class 2 and Class 3 vehicles to single occupancy, but there are no regulations that govern the use of powered wheelchairs and scooters off the highway. In addition, there are no regulations governing the use of mobility scooters on public transport.

What changes are being proposed?

At the moment the Department for Transport is only investigating to see if the legislation needs to be changed. If they come to the conclusion that changes do need to be made then a formal consultation will be carried out. The following questions are currently being asked about the current legislation;

• Does the existing classification system describe these vehicles and their use?
• What circumstances should people be allowed to use mobility vehicles on pavements?
• What circumstances should people be allowed to use mobility vehicles on roads?
• Should the term “invalid” carriage should be abandoned in secondary legislation and replaced by a less offensive term?
• Should vehicles be allowed to be heavier than 150kg?
• Should vehicles be subject to a local registration scheme similar to the Blue Badge scheme?
• Should vehicles display a local registration plate?
• Should vehicles no longer be required to be registered with the DVLA?
• Should certain vehicles be allowed to go faster than 8mph on roads?
• Should users be required to have 3^rd party insurance?
• Should there  be any assessment of a user’s fitness to drive?
• Should users be more visible eg wearing fluorescent clothing?
• Should the use of the speed limiter be made clearly visible to pedestrians through an illuminated sign?
• What penalties, if any, should be applied to people who don’t follow these regulations or who drive irresponsibly?
• What design specifications might be required?

At a meeting I attended recently to discuss changing the legislation the general feeling from people attending was that some of the current rules, like registering with the DVLA didn’t seem to make sense, as no number plate has to be displayed. There were also examples given of some types of mobility vehicle that are heavier and faster than current legislation permits. Design of mobility vehicles was also up for debate as it was felt that a lot could be done with design to make these vehicles safer when they are mixed in with pedestrians.

Mobilise would very much like to hear your views on any of these questions and we will feed back your comments to the Department for Transport. Let me know your views by writing to me at the usual address (see Contact Us above to email us direct).

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.

For the past nine years my Ford Courier had served me well, but I was finding it difficult to stand up from the passenger seat of the car, and as it was a three-door model loading and unloading was awkward. I decided that the time had come for a change of vehicle, and this time it had to be a WAV!

Finding the perfect match

My first step was to look at the advertisements for WAVs in Mobilise and arrange demonstrations of the models which sounded suitable.  My friends were so patient and took me on lots of test drives, but it took a while to find something suitable for my needs. Some vehicles lacked headroom; I am 5ft 7 ½ ” tall and my Jazzy chair with its shock absorbers adds more height. Another wasn’t suitable as the fixation points for the chair weren’t accessible. Although I often sit in the front passenger seat at the moment, I wanted to prepare for the future when I may not be able to transfer so easily. In several models I felt very carsick, as I couldn’t see out properly. In fact visibility from all the vehicles I tried was very poor compared to my old Ford Courier with its raised roof. I queried this factor with all the manufacturers but was told people nowadays don’t like the look of “Popemobiles” – I disagree!

Finally I decided to contact Brotherwood Automobility Ltd in Dorset. My adviser there suggested that I try the Mercedes Vaneo and arranged a home demonstration for me and a couple of the friends who regularly drive my vehicle.  From that first test-drive we were very impressed with the Vaneo and a second trial confirmed my decision. When seated in my wheelchair I was able to drive up the rear ramp and forward so that I was seated almost between passengers on the two perch seats. This made me feel part of the company, rather than isolated in the rear of the car as with some WAVs. Fixation is simple with front and rear wheel restraints holding the chair, and a comfortable seat belt holding me securely. The headroom was sufficient; I would certainly recommend this vehicle to anyone who is tall.

Flexible and spacious

Sometimes I sit next to my driver and the front seat, with its own airbag, is comfortable and fully adjustable. The car is higher up from the ground than my old Ford, so entering and alighting the car is much easier for me – but perhaps a shorter person wouldn’t appreciate this feature!

This is a five-door model with side sliding doors which make it easy for extra passengers and Yates to get in and out, or to load shopping etc.  The rear tailgate, which lifts to allow access, is a joy to open as it is spring-loaded so very light.

The car can accommodate five passengers, including one wheelchair user, and still has some space for holiday luggage – we will test that properly during our summer holidays! With the wheelchair in the forward position, there is space for luggage behind it, but it can also be secured at the back of the vehicle, if you prefer, which allows a good space between the perch seats. Yates has his bed there and has room to lie down comfortably (he is a Labrador Retriever, so quite a big dog!) The vanity box in front of the passenger seat is spacious and there is room for maps etc under the front seats, with additional storage compartments over the wheel arches. This model does not come with a spare wheel, and the dealer advised to always carry a can of “Protec” which may be injected into the tyre if a puncture occurs – this would enable you to get to the next garage.

On the road

Mechanically the automatic gearbox seems fine though at first we all thought it was slow to change gear – apparently this is common with Mercedes vehicles and we are now used to it. Mine is a diesel model, which is new to me, but it seems to do a fair mpg.  I haven’t had a good chance to test the mileage on a long journey yet, but results so far indicate that fuel consumption is very reasonable.

My car is the basic 1.7 litre model but others are available.  The car can be driven manually with a very small movement of the drive selector – this could be a disadvantage for anyone not familiar to the model, so I tell all my new drivers about this. I had reversing sensors fitted before I took delivery and although at first we found the warning “bleeps” rather annoying as the sensors are extremely sensitive, they do make parking that little bit easier.

Further information

Mercedes no longer produce the Vaneo but spares are guaranteed for ten years, and second-hand models, like mine, are widely available. At the time of writing, Parkers Used Car Price Guide estimates that you should be able to pick up a second-hand 1.7 Vaneo Trend (2005 model) for around £4,500 – £5,500 (not adapted) and Brotherwood Automobility had several adapted Vaneos available from between £17,900 to £18,700.

Vehicle dimensions:

MERCEDES VANEO TREND CDI 05

Length:420.0cm

Height:183.0cm

Width:174.2cm

Height at tailgate entry: 137cm

Wheelbase: 29.0cm

Miles done since purchase: 1,142 miles

This article first appeared in the July 2009 issue of Mobilise magazine, which goes out to all our members and includes reviews of adapted cars and mobility equipment, features on accessible travel and leisure, campaign updates, news, competitions and real-life stories.
Membership of our charity costs just £16 per year and includes your monthly subscription to Mobilise.

Mobilise invites you to the first Regional Forum, to be held on Saturday 13th March 2010.

All Mobilise members both full and associate are warmly invited to attend the first regional forum. Come along and meet the Chairman Adrian V Stokes and the CEO Graham Footer along with some of the other Mobilise staff and trustees.

In the morning the floor will be open for members to share their views and experiences on all aspects of their mobility. We are particularly interested to hear your thoughts on our current campaigns and we would also like to know if there is an issue you think we should be campaigning on. The Mobilise magazine has undergone a lot of changes in the last year and we would also like to hear if there are any other changes you would like to see.

In the afternoon we have invited representatives from Motability and the British Parking Association to give a presentation and answer some of your questions.

A light lunch will be provided.

To reserve your free place or for more information please call Nicola Weale on 01508 489 449 or use the contact form above to email us. Please note that prior booking is essential.

Days Hotel, London North, Welcome Break Services. M1 Motorway Junction 4 / 2, Mill Hill, London NW7 3HB