Handicapped Vans

For a person who must spend their life in a wheelchair, transportation has always been an issue. Many areas lack the necessary public transportation resources to make it possible for them to get around. The other alternative was to have to rely on family and friends to help the handicapped person to go where they needed or wanted to go. In many cases this caused more trouble than it was worth as they soon became tired of the situation. Fortunately today there are many different styles of handicapped vans that make it much easier to go out and about. Depending on the person's level of handicap there are handicapped vans designed to make it easier to roll their wheelchair or scooter inside and secure it in place and those that can be driven by the handicapped person. While there are still many full size conversion vans in use for those with handicaps, the trend has been towards using mini vans for several years. Not only are mini vans less expensive to purchase, but they also offer several other advantages that make them the better choice in most instances.

Overall size has a lot to do with why so many handicapped vans are created from minivans, the full size vans can be much harder to drive and find parking spaces for in many areas. With streets in many cities overcrowded it can be a major challenge trying to maneuver a large van through the congestion, something that many people simply do not want to have to deal with. A minivan offers a much smaller vehicle with far better visibility that is not much more difficult to drive than a car. With the high cost of gasoline today, fuel economy is a major consideration when looking at handicapped vans. The traditional full size van has a V8 engine under the hood, if you have a large power lift this may be the only alternative, but these vans average around 20 mpg on the highway and in the mid teens in town.

This poor economy can make a big dent in your wallet. The average minivan gets 18-22 mpg in the city and 24-30 mpg on the highway, which can make a significant difference in a person's ability to travel. Since the floors of most handicapped vans have been lowered by as much as 12 inches the center of gravity is much lower as well. For those who live in areas where the winter brings snow and ice, the combination of lower center of gravity and front wheel drive make the converted minivan a much better choice for drivability and overall safety. At The Mobility Resource you will find a full range of handicapped vans that can be adapted to many different needs. They offer a network of dealers across the country who a trained to help you find the van that fits your needs. Along with vans they offer a range of adaptive equipment ranging from swivel seats to equipment that makes it possible for many handicapped people to be able to enjoy the pleasure of driving themselves once again.