Steering wheel driving aids guide
Steering wheel driving aids essentially enable the safe one-handed operation of a vehicle’s steering wheel. This is particularly beneficial for those with reduced mobility or hand control drivers.
Discover more about how they work, the various styles and who can benefit from them in our helpful guide.
Understanding steering wheel driving aids
Mobility steering wheel aids allow you to continuously turn the wheel without removing your hand, making it ideal for steering with one hand.
Whilst they are beneficial for individuals with a range of disabilities which cause reduced strength and mobility in the arms and hands, they are also an essential adaptation when hand controls are fitted to a car. This enables you to steer with one hand safely whilst operating the acceleration and brake with the other.
Steering wheel knobs
Basic car steering wheel aids are fitted onto the vehicle’s steering wheel and positioned wherever suits you. There are various grip styles available to suit individual preferences.
Steering ball
The most popular style of steering aid, the steering ball allows for a comfortable but firm grip, assisting drivers with reduced mobility to safely control the steering of the car. It is grasped from the front using a partially clenched hand.
Steering peg
The steering peg offers a full handgrip perpendicular to the wheel as it is gripped from the side using a partially clenched hand. This offers an alternative to a traditional steering ball to change the way your wrist is positioned.
Steering lollipop
With all the benefits of a traditional steering aid, a steering lollipop has a unique, ergonomic, handle design which is easily gripped and changes the position of your wrist which may be more comfortable for many drivers.
Specialist steering aids
For those with significantly reduced grip strength, a specialist steering aid offers greater support whilst still enabling one-handed steering.
Tetra grip
The tetra grip is a focused improvement over a traditional steering aid by providing adjustable wrist support which affords the driver greater control of the wheel. The tri-grip option works a lot like the peg but offers two other smaller pegs which the arm/wrist can lever against to turn the wheel.
Installation and usage
A steering wheel driving aid is easy to install yourself. It typically involves clamping the adaptation onto the steering wheel with allen keys and tightening for secure attachment. The universal design of these adaptations allows for installation across virtually any vehicle.
They can be fitted either as standard fixed or standard quick release. Standard fixed means the steering adaptation is installed permanently onto the steering wheel in the required position. Although this doesn’t restrict another driver to control the steering wheel, some people do prefer to be able to remove this. A standard quick release enables you to release the steering aid from the base, making it ideal for sharing a car with another driver.
All steering aids within the Mobility in Motion range feature a quick release design which can be easily detached when required for multiple drivers.
Disabled steering wheel aids are beneficial for individuals with varying levels of reduced mobility as well as hand control drivers. For more information on how they could help you or advice on purchasing them contact our team online or call us 0800 288 4422.
Explore our full steering aids range to find out further information on our mobility aids including steering wheel knobs for single hand steering.