Handicapped Minivan
November 12, 2007
The Safety of Handicapped Minivans
The early history of minivans was somewhat checkered with disturbing reports of being too top heavy, overturning, or flipping easily. The media spun that story for awhile until manufacturers improved the minivan to become one of the most popular vehicles on the road today. The convenience for moms to cart all the kids plus the groceries around while feeling safe has outweighed the early safety concerns. Undeniably, the most user friendly and easy to adapt vehicle for wheelchair access has been the handicapped minivans.
Purchasing an accessible or modified vehicle for handicap transport used to be for the rich and famous only because of the high expense incurred. With the increasing number of wheelchair restricted healthy individuals driving handicapped minivans to work every day, the cost is no longer so prohibitive. With the added benefit of competition between manufacturers for the lucrative handicapped minivans market, handicapped drivers and family members have experienced the value of lower prices and greater functionality.
When choosing which of the many handicapped minivans available on the market today to buy, review the safety precautions that the manufacturer has taken to be sure of the dependability of the vehicle. Refer to sites like www.handicapvans.org for information on which handicapped minivans are most popular and test well for safety. Adaptive Mobility Systems or AMS is a reliable source for accessible mobility vehicles straight from the factory.
By eliminating the distributor or service center the cost of converting and adapting a handicapped minivan goes through one less pair of hands saving the customer unneeded costs. Also the safety of the handicapped minivan is tested by the manufacturer themselves. Picking up your special order vehicle, especially if you bought it so that you could drive yourself around and not be reliant on friends and commercial services, companies like AMS actually deliver the vehicle to your home or specified destination.
When you choose to buy from a vendor who is direct to the manufacturer, you benefit from the intense system of safety procedures that each manufacturer must observe. There are additional precautions that handicapped minivans must undergo to ensure that the safety of the physically handicapped individual and the traffic environment are both protected.
AMS has a model of safety procedures that is admirable and well monitored. Every one of their handicapped minivans is subjected to several safety inspections specific to the handicap industry. Handicapped minivans are run through tests following the strictest Federal Safety Standards and include government monitored crash tests. You can view these standards at the Department of Transportation website at www.nhtsa.dot.gov.
Other companies including AMS, Wheelchair Accessible Vans, and AAVans pride themselves on their well trained staff to maintain quality controlled environments and in addition to the Federal Safety Standard tests, some carry out their own safety procedures to ensure that the owners of handicapped minivans are satisfied that they have bought the safest and most road reliable vehicle available. Safety is one of the first mandates of handicapped minivans today.
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