Bluetooth Aid for Disabled Drivers

Most of us think of Bluetooth wireless connectivity as linking our mobile phones and cars, so we can chat to family, friends or business colleagues while we’re on the move. But there is another motoring use for the technology which is arguably far more worthy.

Electronic hand controls for disabled drivers usually consist of a keypad of tiny buttons fitted on to a steering wheel grip-ball. It means the user can operate the car, indicators, lights and wipers with just one hand in complete safety. Until recently the link between the buttons and the car’s features relied on infra-red. But not anymore.

“After 12 years we’ve recently switched to Bluetooth with huge success,” said Andrew Law, managing director of Lodgesons, the UK’s largest supplier of electronic hand controls. Prices for the Cardiff-based firm products start at just under £1,000.

“Bluetooth has a number of technical advantages; there’s none of the wiring that goes with infra-red sensors, there’s no drop-out of the link and because it’s a two-way system, it will continue to send the message until it’s received, rather than just when you press the button.”

The new smart technology has made hiding the electronic wizardry that goes with the hand controls easier as well. “Because we don’t have to have a clean line of sight to the Bluetooth sensor, we can put it behind a bulkhead and several layers of plastic and it still works just as well,” said Law.