Firstly,
get yourself checked by a qualified civil surgeon for ability to drive.
This is important since your doctor has to rule out hidden ailments
like dystonia (a sudden distortion of an arm or a leg) etc.
If cars
equipped with automatic transmission are suitable for you and fall within
your budget, that’s good news. Otherwise, the other option is buying
a stock car (old or new) and getting it modified.
Take an
experienced modifier’s help while selecting a vehicle. This is
to ensure that your personalised requirements are met by the selected
vehicle.
Double-check
with your modifier that no changes are made to the original chassis
and functional structure of the vehicle. Only additions are to be made.
Otherwise, problems are bound to arise at the RTO at the time of registration.
After
you have mastered the control of your vehicle (especially stop-’n-go
on an incline), the only thing left to do is to head for the local RTO
for registration of your vehicle and a special driving licence. Don’t
forget to carry the medical fitness certificate from the civil surgeon
with you.
What the
rule book says...
Assistant
Regional Transport Officer (RTO) Satish Salvi (Worli, Mumbai) spelt out
the law for physically challenged drivers and registering ‘invalid
carriages’. Before approaching the RTO for a licence, a ‘handicapped’
person has to produce a fitness certificate from a civil surgeon, or from
a government body like the AIIPMR. This certificate should be specific
to a certain vehicle, say an automatic Maruti Zen. After this, he/she
would be subjected to a special driving test by the RTO, depending on
whose outcome the licence would or would not be given. In any case, the
RTO reserves the right to deny the licence on safety grounds.
Importantly, for the purpose of vehicle registration, the physically challenged
person or an associate may not effect any changes to the original design
of the chassis or any other essential parts. To register any vehicle,
a prototype from the manufacturer has to be first tested by an authorised
testing agency like ARAI, Pune. However, for the purpose of modification,
additions to the driving mechanism of the vehicle are allowed. In Sanjay’s
Gypsy, while Ferdie added the vacuum-clutch and the various levers, the
original floor pedals and all other systems were retained. This deemed
the vehicle to be ‘road-worthy’ in the eyes of the law and hence,
fit to be registered.
February
2001 