It is very easy to be wined and dined by the idea of buying what appears to be a wheelchair accessibility vehicle to enable a person to travel in their wheelchair, for the cost of around $25K – $30K, in the form of a Japanese-imports wheelchair vehicles such as the Toyota Noah, Toyota Voxy, Nissan Cube and even imported Toyota Hiace Commuters, however the sad reality is that these vehicles are NOT recommended (or LEGAL for wheelchair occupant travel) in Australia.
Unlike in Australia, these vehicles are not built and then modified, they are actually built with a lowered floor and ramp at the rear, and fitted with “wheelchair restraints”.
What you may know:
All vehicles in Australia must comply to the Australian Design Rules – a huge online public document, that outlines all the safety features required for vehicles to be legal in Australia: everything from seatbelts, seating, to lights, to noise and fuel emissions.
https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/infrastructure-transport-vehicles/vehicles/vehicle-design-regulation/australian-design-rules
These Japanese vehicles are imported under the Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle Scheme); when they come off the ship, they are inspected against the Federal against Australian Design Rules, and (if the overall vehicle is safe) stamped with a Federal compliance plate indicating that they meet the Australian Design Rules.
What you didn’t know:
The Australian Design Rules does not explain the requirements for safe wheelchair access or wheelchair occupant travel. They don’t even mention it. Not once.
So we have a vehicle that is federally compliant to be sold as a mainstream vehicle, – however this compliance DOES NOT include the wheelchair occupant travel.
But, these cars are sold to families to enable wheelchair occupant travel.
Compliance for wheelchair occupant travel
As the ADR does not explain the requirements for safe wheelchair occupant travel, the next level of governance are the multiple Australian Standards (which are in line with ISO standards) that outline safe and best practice. It is very important to understand that the Japanese standards DO NOT meet Australian Standards.
For a list of the Australian Standards that we reference in our assessment and vehicle application click here.
Each state licencing authority also has a Vehicle Standards Bulletin and codes related to mobility vehicle modifications, that must be inspected by an approved engineer and complianced. They will usually receive a plate attached to the car and triplicate documentation (that is kept by the modifier/engineer, kept by the client, and sent to the Transport department).
The key elements of Australian Standards for mobility vehicles include:
- Wheelchair restraints that are tested and compliant
- Access ramp – the gradient (or slope angle), load rating and configuration of the ramp
- Length of the wheelchair space available
- Clearance zones above head height, in front of head and behind head when tied-down and travelling
- Lap-sash inertia reel seatbelt is now considered best practice for all vehicle occupants.
- The wheelchair itself must be crash tested for wheelchair occupant travel, and have suitable tie-down points, a suitable backrest and headrest.
Problems in this Japanese import disability Hiace Commuter:
- It’s pretty impossible to attach the front restraints – the user has to be in position and then a carer has to reach down across them to the floor to attach that front-right restraint.
- The back wheels and restraints are attached to the MOVING platform lifter! The back restraints are not actually attached to the vehicle itself!
- The seatbelt is in the completely wrong place and does not sit over the user’s shoulder. It is also not an inertia-reel seatbelt – it is just flapping away in the breeze.
- To push the wheelchair user into the vehicle, the carer has to perch on the edge of the tailgate and then climb over the back ledge of the platform lifter – an accident waiting to happen.
Jeff Watters, Automobility Owner and Mechanical Engineer provides some insights into why these vehicles don’t meet Australian Standards for wheelchair travel. You can find his full post here.
There are a few other very pertinent points you need to consider about these imported vehicles:
- Are the instructions for the vehicle modifications available in English?
- Have the vehicle modifications been tested? How? To what extent? To what rating?
- Technical support/spare parts – What technical support and spare parts are available in Australia for the vehicle?
- Warranty on the vehicle and conversion? The sale of a used vehicle comes with a statutory 3-month warranty and that’s it. There is NO warranty on the conversion whatsoever.
- Ongoing support – What ongoing support are you going to receive for servicing and repair of the mobility conversion on the vehicle? Who is going to provide this – the car salesman? Probably not. Toyota? Probably not.
- If my state licencing authority inspects this vehicle, will it pass all of their compliance and be able to maintain legal registration on the road?
What car salesman will tell you:
They will tell you that the restraints can be replaced by a local vehicle modifier.
Technically, this is correct, however just replacing the restraints does not make the overall vehicle compliant. All of the other problems including the floor cut, the ramp, the under-body work, the seatbelt, the clearance zones (above head, in front of head and behind head) – will still be there.
Most vehicle modifiers will not be willing to replace the restraints in these vehicles, because if they do, then they will inherit all the other problems.
Bottom line
Car salesmen do not know about mobility, understand mobility issues, or probably even care. They’re just trying to sell you a car.
This is why experienced Occupational Therapists are part of the vehicle prescription process and are required to write a report for NDIS for funding to be considered.
Unless you are provided with Engineering certification regarding the compliance to Australian Standards, the vehicle is NOT legally registered as a wheelchair access vehicle. As an interesting aside here, NDIS are now expressly requiring an Engineering certificate and roadworthy for any of these import vehicles before they will even consider funding it.
Need help?
If you need help with vehicle modifications for community access and driving, you can refer to us here.
Have you watched “Young Sheldon”? Prequel of “The Big Bang Theory”, 9 year old Sheldon is gifted and demonstrates traits of autism (although it is never formally mentioned); Sheldon’s mentor and physics professor Dr John Sturgis (also gifted and demonstrating traits of autism) doesn’t drive. He attempts a driving lesson with Connie (Sheldon’s beloved grandma):
John approaches an intersection with a yellow traffic light… it goes something like this:
John: (panicking) Yellow light! Yellow light!
Connie: it was just a yellow light!
John is upset and pulls over.
John: It’s too much information, I can’t process it.
Connie: it was just a yellow light!
John: It was not just the light… there were other cars, pedestrians, there was a guy on a bicycle… it’s just too many random elements.. the stimuli are overwhelming..
Dr Sturgis demonstrates the challenges often experienced and found in the research in drivers and learner drivers with autism. Dr Sturgis doesn’t know what to prioritise and may not know exactly what he needs to look for, and may take more time to process this information… not to mention extreme anxiety in the situation.
Parents of young adults with autism (and other conditions including ADHD) are usually concerned about their teen’s ability and safety in being able to drive and being on the road, but they also want their teen to have the normality of learning to drive like other kids.
Driving Well Occupational Therapy has been leading change in this space across Australia, with the roll-out of the “potential to drive” approach and resources including the Drive Focus app from the Driver Rehab Institute in the USA and development of the Get Driving online therapy toolkit.
Here are our tips that parents need to know:
1. Autism may require medical clearance for driving from your doctor
Autism now appears on the AustRoads Assessing Fitness to Drive guidelines as a medical condition / disability under “Neurological conditions” (these changes were published in June 2022) https://austroads.com.au/publications/assessing-fitness-to-drive/ap-g56/neurological-conditions/other-neurological-and-neurodevelopmental-conditions#other-neurological-conditions-table
So what?
Autism and other conditions can impact a person’s motor coordination, visual search and processing skills, and may impact safe driving performance. Like any person with a medical condition, they must have clearance from their doctor. The doctor may decide they need an OT driving assessment, and may decide:
- No medical certificate / condition is needed; or
- A medical certificate with a medical condition endorsement but no restriction; or
- A restricted medical certificate – driving with a driving instructor only / dual control car” may be required to maintain the young adult’s (and everyone elses) safety… we just don’t know if they are going to be able to respond to a hazardous situation under pressure.
2. Common challenges of autism on driving
Research has been completed showing autism characteristics that may impact driving include:
- reduced coordination of limbs for physical control, and visual motor integration – seeing a bend and steering around it
- tricky with interpreting non-verbal cues eg brake and indicator lights, tailgaters
- understanding traffic flow
- trouble with problem solving; planning ahead; mental flexibility; divided attention
- “look but do not see”
- take longer to find “critical” information
- experience cognitive overload and anxiety
Your teen may have difficulty with some or all of these, and if these are not addressed, they may not be successful with learning to drive or be dangerous on the road.
It is also important to remember that not everyone with autism will show potential to drive now, or will be successful with obtaining their driver’s licence.
3. Steps to use NDIS funding for driving lessons
Funding for specialised driving lessons through the NDIS is a “stated item” – this means that it cannot be utilised until an OT driving assessment is completed and a report and quote for lessons is submitted to the NDIA for consideration. The recommendations and quote need to be approved and added to the NDIS plan, under CB: improved daily living.
You and your teen will need some resolve.. this can be a lengthy process… but we are lucky to have access to this funding support.
4. Parent input is crucial!
Sorry parents, learning to drive cannot be handballed over to the driving instructor. Research shows that it may take up to 3 times longer for these young people to be successful in learning to drive, and they will still need to work up minimum supervised driving hours (as per your state licencing authority) to attempt a Provisional licence test. NDIS will not fund endless hours for learning to drive.
Parents are busy and overloaded – you need to work out if the timing for working on learning to drive is right for your teen and for you. Teen also needs to “drive” this learning to drive – they need to be motivated to do the lessons and the homework!
5. You can do so much whilst you wait!
Your teen may be restricted to driving with a driving instructor only initially… the good news is that they can practice all the subskills needed for driving:
- Work on community mobility: pedestrian, passenger, ride share, public transport… then tackle driving
- Work on independence with general lifeskills
- The award winning Drive Focus app is designed to develop visual search and speed of processing (reaction) skills. Watch a 1 minute video below (it’s an American app but has drives in Brisbane and Melbourne). Get it on your tablet device (ipad or android) or on Windows 11. www.drivefocus.com
- The Get Driving online therapy toolkit includes activity sheets and video examples of graded home and front passenger activities.
Get the Toolkit here: https://drivingwell.thinkific.com/courses/getdriving
Find out if your teen is ready to learn to drive!
There is so much more to share… Jenny has developed a 1.5 hour pre-recorded webinar to guide you through the research in more detail, use a lifeskills review and walk you through what is involved in an OT “potential to drive” assessment.
Get the webinar here: https://drivingwell.thinkific.com/courses/is-my-young-adult-ready-for-driving
Use your NDIS funding
To purchase the webinar and toolkit through your young persons’ NDIS plan, send an email to admin@drivingwell.com.au, with your request, NDIS participant number and plan manager details.
Driving Well Occupational Therapy provides OT potential to drive assessment and driving therapy for learners and pre-learners in the Brisbane area and we love working with this group of young Australians on working toward their goal of becoming a driver.
Jenny Gribbin, Director / OT Driver Assessor, Driving Well Occupational Therapy
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Driving Well Occupational Therapy is a busy practice that provides OT driving assessment and vehicle modification services for people with medical conditions and injuries in Brisbane, Ipswich and northern Gold Coast. We service clients who are self-funding, NDIS and other compensable (WorkCover, NIISQ, TAC, iCare).
On behalf of the team at Driving Well Occupational Therapy and in the spirit of reconciliation, I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Turrbul and Yuggera country, where our team live and serve the majority of our clients, as well as to all Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to the land, sea and community. I pay my respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people today.
On behalf of the team at Driving Well Occupational Therapy and in the spirit of reconciliation, I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Turrbul and Yuggera country, where our team live and serve the majority of our clients, as well as to all Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to the land, sea and community. I pay my respects to Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all First Nations people today.
