“Motability buys 20% of all new UK cars” – scandal or sod all?

All cars are mobility aids really – its a bit weird that they’re so popular with the able bodied.

This.

  Is it fair

I suspect many people who have to use a mobility car, for themselves or a loved one, wonder about the fairness of life. Not for the same reasons as you though.

@trailrat:

If the system helps those people … For the odd story of someone playing the system. I’m ok with that.

Absolutely. Well said. This goes for pretty much every benefit there is in my opinion.

had to delete several replies, nt8008s & sum up my feelings.

what most people don’t realise, one can swap the higher rate mobility allowance for a car so you’re “given a car “.

when my son was born I had a 307sw- perfectly adequate for all the baby gear. It was only when he got a wheelchair that the car wasn’t suitable and we swapped to a grand espace via motability.

I’m sure my son would like the luxury of being able to talk without a communication device, walk unaided, be able to wipe his own arse than have a “luxury vehicle”.

It’s been said but…

You need the higher rate mobility component of PIP to even have a chance of getting a mobility car. It’s an extremely high bar and for many the process to get it is harrowing and humiliating. For some it includes going right to tribunal stage just to get PIP so it can be a year long journey, going against a system designed to trip you up at eBay stage.

The pip monies are then used to pay for the car.

I don’t have a mobility car but my good friend with MS di6d and I got to see her go through this process.

Having a chat with your GP about feeling a bit bluesy wont cut it.

Same as FB-ATB having written a number of replies then thought better of it. A highly emotive subject for obv reasons. We’re essentially part of a club no one particularly wants to be part of but that’s another subject in itself.

However, and a big HOWEVER, thank **** we live in this country and have ‘a’ system for ‘supporting’ people with disabilities. It’s by no means perfect at all. At times it feels unfair, intrusive, demeaning and full of unnecessary red tape to trudge through. BUT, we do have a system and compared to other countries considerably better off than most IMO. There will always be **** sponging off the system, that’s life.

Is it fair
I suspect many people who have to use a mobility car, for themselves or a loved one, wonder about the fairness of life. Not for the same reasons as you though.

To quote Mark Steel “why should blind people get dogs? I can’t climb trees but nobody buys me a monkey”.

Its a strange mind set to see someone get receive something need and perceive  it somehow as a perk that they’ve themselves have been denied

Why new cars rather than used?

I’m all for supporting disadvantaged people to overcome things (generally, not just cars), but not to elevate them to things that are luxuries for working non disabled people.

Largely becuase if you are the funder / operator of the scheme the vehicles you are supplying need to be a known quantity – reliable, safe, warrenteed. It would be too onerous a task, practically and administratively to make supplies of vehicles on the scale these schemes are operated and be able to ensure that the are suitably reliable and safe. Its more important for the costs of purchase, use and resale to be predictable.

That would be the same for any large scale providers of vehicles. Fleet buyers don’t provide their employees with second hand vehicles, car hire companies don’t rent out second hand vehicles, the ambulance service doesn’t buy second hand ambulances  because used vehicles introduce too many unknowns into the system.

The ‘scandal’ that gets me is blue badges.

I’ll happily give mine to anyone who wants it, provided they take MS too.

as said previously the process to get one is fairly intrusive and uiu have to supply quite a bit of evidence so I’m sure the numbers are valid.

Thank you to those who posted from experience, I have learned things on this thread.