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Motability drivers under 30 have expressed deep concern about a new regulation requiring the installation of mandatory black boxes in their vehicles. These devices will track driving behavior, including speed and braking, and issue weekly safety ratings. Accumulating more than four red ratings within a year could potentially lead to the driver’s removal from the Motability scheme, which facilitates access to adapted cars for disabled individuals by allowing them to use part of their benefit payments to lease a vehicle.
Critics argue that this change could restrict disabled individuals’ independence and employment opportunities. However, Motability defends the policy as a measure to maintain affordability and enhance safety. Since introducing the system in September in Northern Ireland, the organization reports it has already removed 300 drivers for safety concerns. The scheme now mandates black boxes on all vehicles with named drivers aged 30 or younger, a rule which also applies to family members, friends, or personal assistants who may drive the car.
Actor Keron Day, who has cerebral palsy and uses a specially adapted wheelchair-accessible vehicle (WAV), voiced his frustration with the new rule. He emphasizes that his customized car, equipped with steering aids and adapted controls, is essential for maintaining his mobility and career in acting. Day criticizes the mandatory black box, arguing that disabled drivers who passed driving tests undergo the same standards as non-disabled people and should not face additional scrutiny. “Disabled people need to have the choice, just like everybody else,” he said, highlighting the unfairness of his peers not being subjected to similar restrictions.
Another Motability user, 21-year-old Eva Hanna, who drives a car fitted with hand controls, welcomes the device but notes flaws in the system. The sensitivity of her vehicle’s controls sometimes results in abrupt acceleration or braking, leading to amber and red ratings that do not reflect reckless driving but rather the nature of her adaptations. She worries that such ratings could unfairly jeopardize access to the scheme, which she finds invaluable. Motability has acknowledged these concerns and plans to investigate further. In addition to the black box, the scheme now recommends drivers take breaks every hour, limits journeys to six per day before issuing warnings, and halves the annual mileage allowance from 20,000 to 10,000 miles at a higher excess charge for extra miles.
Despite feeling constrained by such limits—Keron Day points out that frequent stops during long journeys would prevent him from reaching acting jobs in distant cities—he remains positive about the vital role his adapted vehicle plays in his independence. “I wouldn’t be able to go to work without mine,” he said. “I wouldn’t be able to have a social life.”
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