Liberty Staff Portable Hand Controls For Vehicles, Cars, Disabled Driving - Updated Version

I have a broken right ankle in a cast and was ordered by doctor not to drive. I worried it would be too flimsy to be safe. Not at all! I did a little research and feel this is the best on the market. A lot of thought has gone in them that has addresses the complaints I've read on some of the inferior brands. A little more expensive but worth the added costs. For example, instead of wing-nuts that come loose and catch on clothing they used jelly-stop bolts that won't catch on anything or work their way loose. Very easy to install. Others I've seen require you to use your thumb to accelerate and a lever to brake. Scary! This is truly one lever operation. The side lever. Forward to accelerate; back to come off the accelerator; back further to apply the brake pressure. I few cycles (including simulated emergency stops) I was driving as smoothly as ever. And you can set it up for how it works for you. Me, I have it resting with a bar on each side of my knee with the side lever off to the right. Also came with a travel bag. If I were permanently disabled this would be a Godsend if traveling and needing to rent a car. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I'm a paraplegic who drives. Without my own personal transportation, living in a rural area, I would be reliant on other people constantly for all my daily work and living errands. With this tool I'm self-reliant. The company touts this set of hand controls as "Portable", and yes they are. Comes in it's own little suitcase. I have two sets. I have enough money to have a professional set of hand controls installed in my truck, and frankly, that's what I always intended on doing. I confess, I'm unorthodox, I usually look at a tool or thing and then find out my best use for an item, and sometimes my use is not the prescribed method. So...I use the Liberty Staff Portable Hand Controls in a different manner than the company prescribes. I hook them up backwards. In other words, I don't use them with my left hand, I use them with my right hand. There are advantages to setting them up this way and there are disadvantages.The Advantages: my steering wheel auto speed controls are on the left side of the steering wheel, this has become the default of auto speed control position on newer automobiles. Being on the left side, when speed control is set, this frees my right hand to use the center console controls: AC, heat, radio, media selection, map functions, etc. However, due to the flexible nature of the unit itself (tied to the proper location with nylon strap and quick disconnect around the steering column), I have learned how to use the hand controls with my right thumb, and due to their flexible nature, use the other fingers on my right hand to access features on my center console also. With a static professionally mounted set of hand controls, this would be more difficult.The disadvantage(s): I find one. It's a matter of geometry concerning how the controls are linked to each other and to the break pedal and the throttle (gas pedal, soon to be an archaic term.) This point is complicated to describe without the use of a picture, but suffice to say when pulling on the hand controls there is a one to one correspondence of pressure exerted to the pedal as applied by the pulling force of the hand. When pushing on the handle there is a doubling of pressure applied to the pedal as applied by the hand. In other words, the human hand, with this set of hand controls, can apply more force when pushing than when pulling. The significance of this; when the hand controls are mounted for left hand use the greater force is applied to the break pedal (where it is needed), and when the hand controls are mounted for right hand use there is less available leverage for break control. Also on newer models of cars, the throttle pedal is often not as sturdily constructed as the break pedal. With right hand mounting, this translates to added forward force on the throttle pedal, which is not designed for this type of force. You have been warned that I am unorthodox and that this is not the manufacture's intended setup.All in all, I have been using this set of hand controls in a continuous nature for four years without any problems. I check them constantly for sag or loose nuts before driving. I have also drilled and inserted a safety screw through the base of the hand controls where they join the pedals for extra precaution.

Easy to install, but supplied nylon strap to hold it to the steering column is trash, as it will NOT stay tight. I bought some heavy duty HVAC vinyl zip ties.

Just as others have said, the steering knob is junk. It broke off the 2nd time I used it. Buy another.But on the positive side I like the controls. It took a little getting used to it but it's second nature to me now. I was also uneasy with the portability. Because of the shape of my Mazda's gas pedal I was afraid they would slip off. Easy fix though. I made it a permanent install by drilling a hole in the pedal and securing it with one of the nuts and bolt they came with.And get a prescription from your Dr. You'll need it for the DOL. (In WA, anyway) I had to take the driving test and get my license updated. Now I am only allowed to drive cars with hand controls and a steering knob. My friend is a cop and said steering knobs are very visible to them and it's illegal to use them without proper documents.

I liked them and was excited to be able to drive again. But due to my arthritis in my hands I couldn't use them. I didn't have the strength to pull or push. Good product just not able to use them. easy to use if your hands are not crippled up like mine. I returned them the next day, no issues with return. got full refund.

What an amazing product! Really easy to install and easy to learn to drive. Made my life easier! Before this i was clear to drive with my feet but didn't feel safe since I have no sensation on my feet so I didn't feel safe. But after buying this I wasn't afraid to get back on the road.

I bought this so I could drive my van but when I got it installed the part that goes over the steering wheel kept slipping and the mechanic said hewouldn't trust it especially the brakes. The gas pedal was O.K. but everyone needs brakes to work and what do you do if they don't and you can't reach them to stop? Amazon was really good giving me back what I paid for it quickly so I have no problem with them. I am out the $100+ dollars I paid to have it installed and uninstalled. I trust the mechanic completely who was looking out for my safety. I'm still looking to buy another hand control for my van. I had to stop driving when I could no longer reach the brake pedal due to Post-Polio. I really miss driving and had just taken a Defensive Driving Course. I like being independent which driving gives me. I can't take a bus because the bus stops are too hot or too cold in Winter and I can't take either. Taxi's cost too much and I'm on a very limited income from Disability so the loss of that $100+ really hurt me.

Excellent solution for drivers who have limited or no use of their legs. Easily installed, safe, stable and quickly mastered, this is a very helpful product.