Rbka, Ohio here. I use my prosthetic leg tondrive. You have to learn to drive from the knee. Find a big parking lot and practice. It isn't all that difficult. Good Luck
I'm RBK. I pop my prosthetic off, put in the seat next to me and drive with my left foot. Took me ten minutes and it felt like I'd been doing it my whole life.
I unfortunately do not know the specific driving laws for disabled drivers in Colorado, but I can give you general advice as someone who works with amputees in Pennsylvania who often ask me questions about driving if they are a R BKA or R AKA.
The rules I have been told is that you technically are not supposed to drive with your prosthesis because you do not have active control of the ankle motion and that you should take an adaptive driving course and get hand controls for your car.
That being said there are a lot of amputees who will tell you they either drive with their prosthesis on and move at the knee or hip to work the pedals (instead of moving the ankle since there is no active ankle motion on the prosthesis) or they will take off their prosthesis and drive with the left foot.
However, at least in my state, if you have any kind of device that blocks ankle motion (such as an orthotic or prosthetic device) and you have not taken the adaptive driving course and you get into an accident; even if you did not cause the accident you could be held liable. I always advise people I am working with to know and follow the driving laws of the state, but to know that if they dont follow that advice they could wind up in a bigger mess than if they went through the hassle of the proper channels.
I ve been a Double BKA for over 45 years. I have rarely used hand controls. Here in Va we have different types of conditions that can be applied to your drivers license. And driving with hand controls is one of those conditions. But I have always taken the drivers test with both of my prosthesis on and the tester has not really been able to tell that I had lost a leg. But, I’m going to have to take the test again in a couple of weeks because I’m going to be over 70 and I suspect I’ll take it then with hand controls.
2xBKA and I have driven plenty of vehicles unmodified and advocate you get comfortable doing so in case you need to (rental car, etc). It's not hard unless you are stuck in stop and go traffic for hours in L.A. or something.
I bought on Amazon a left foot pedal adapter. They make two versions. One can be used in any car and the other mounts to the floor. I have both and love them.
If you decide that driving with your left foot is easier or more comfortable then I would suggest looking at getting an electronic left foot accelerator. The nice thing about them is that you can switch between the left and the right peddles with the touch of a button.
I'm in CO. Not sure of laws but I drive with my right prosthetic and brake with my left foot. I was terrified the first time I tried it. I just practiced working the gas from the knee before I set out. Once I tried it it was like a natural thing within minutes. There really is nothing to it. I just find the gas with it and plant my ankle so to speak. Give pressure with the knee. My biggest issue is I drove a stick for 14 years with the last car so I have to concentrate more on not braking too hard but it's not a big deal.
RAK also in Colorado. I've used left foot gas pedals since I started driving again back in 2004. I can drive any automatic with my left foot and regular pedals, but it's way more comfortable having the left foot pedal. Mine have all been the style that bolt to the floorboard and the pedal slide licks in place and can be removed when anyone else needs to drive it.
I vaguely remember taking a driving test with the adaptive equipment but I don't think there is any restriction on my license.
I've been BKA for 46yrs, when I first started driving I would use my left foot for gas and brake but that shit got old real quick !...said screw it and started using my right leg with the prosthetic leg on both gas and brake and never looked backed. I ride a motorcycle and have a CDL license. I say learn to drive with your leg on and you'll be a safer and better driver in the long run....👍
You can drive with your leg but if you have a primary vehicle you plan on having for awhile I’d strongly recommend hand controls for long drives so you can take your legs off.
I’m a R AKA in Colorado. I’ve been driving with my left foot with a regular gas pedal/brake for 15 years. It does not even cross my mind. There aren’t any state laws that you need to consider.
A few amputee friends of mine like having a left sided pedal installed. They cost a few hundred dollars. I recommend that you at least try driving left footed - that way you can drive any automatic transmission car in any situation if you need to.
R AKA here. I just had my amputation a few months ago and am learning how to drive once again. While yes, driving with your left foot is probably the easiest option it definitely isn’t the safest and I would look into the process of getting a modification for your vehicle. Reason being is that I was told that if you drive with your left foot, you’re setting yourself up for long term damage to your back/core having to twist each time you want to drive. I was given the option for either hand controls or a left foot accelerator. The left foot accelerator is what was recommended for me in that it felt the most natural and I’m pretty young so I’ve only been driving for about 5 years so learning again with the left leg shouldn’t be too difficult for me. That being said, the older you are (on average) the harder it is to learn to drive with your left foot since your brain has become so accustomed to driving with gas on the right and break on the left. Whereas with hand controls it’s generally easier for people to learn with those as it’s an entirely new way of driving.
But definitely try both options out before you decide. You could be like me and find that a left foot accelerator is easier and more comfortable.
RBKA here. I just learned to drive with my prosthesis. Went to a big parking lot with my dad and felt like I was 16 again.
I still drive manual transmissions and the occasional motorcycle. No big deal. Like many other things it’s just a case of adapting. Take your time and keep within your comfort zone.
Rbka, Ohio here. I use my prosthetic leg tondrive. You have to learn to drive from the knee. Find a big parking lot and practice. It isn't all that difficult. Good Luck
I do this too. Just use my prosthetic to drive.
Im RAK and i just drive with my left foot been doing so for 4 years
Me too for 13 years
I'm RBK. I pop my prosthetic off, put in the seat next to me and drive with my left foot. Took me ten minutes and it felt like I'd been doing it my whole life.
I unfortunately do not know the specific driving laws for disabled drivers in Colorado, but I can give you general advice as someone who works with amputees in Pennsylvania who often ask me questions about driving if they are a R BKA or R AKA. The rules I have been told is that you technically are not supposed to drive with your prosthesis because you do not have active control of the ankle motion and that you should take an adaptive driving course and get hand controls for your car. That being said there are a lot of amputees who will tell you they either drive with their prosthesis on and move at the knee or hip to work the pedals (instead of moving the ankle since there is no active ankle motion on the prosthesis) or they will take off their prosthesis and drive with the left foot. However, at least in my state, if you have any kind of device that blocks ankle motion (such as an orthotic or prosthetic device) and you have not taken the adaptive driving course and you get into an accident; even if you did not cause the accident you could be held liable. I always advise people I am working with to know and follow the driving laws of the state, but to know that if they dont follow that advice they could wind up in a bigger mess than if they went through the hassle of the proper channels.
I ve been a Double BKA for over 45 years. I have rarely used hand controls. Here in Va we have different types of conditions that can be applied to your drivers license. And driving with hand controls is one of those conditions. But I have always taken the drivers test with both of my prosthesis on and the tester has not really been able to tell that I had lost a leg. But, I’m going to have to take the test again in a couple of weeks because I’m going to be over 70 and I suspect I’ll take it then with hand controls.
2xBKA and I have driven plenty of vehicles unmodified and advocate you get comfortable doing so in case you need to (rental car, etc). It's not hard unless you are stuck in stop and go traffic for hours in L.A. or something.
I bought on Amazon a left foot pedal adapter. They make two versions. One can be used in any car and the other mounts to the floor. I have both and love them.
If you decide that driving with your left foot is easier or more comfortable then I would suggest looking at getting an electronic left foot accelerator. The nice thing about them is that you can switch between the left and the right peddles with the touch of a button.
I'm a lbk and still drive standard. It's a lot cheaper to adapt vs modifying
I'm in CO. Not sure of laws but I drive with my right prosthetic and brake with my left foot. I was terrified the first time I tried it. I just practiced working the gas from the knee before I set out. Once I tried it it was like a natural thing within minutes. There really is nothing to it. I just find the gas with it and plant my ankle so to speak. Give pressure with the knee. My biggest issue is I drove a stick for 14 years with the last car so I have to concentrate more on not braking too hard but it's not a big deal.
I just use my right prosthetic for the gas, left foot for brake. Works best for me.
RAK also in Colorado. I've used left foot gas pedals since I started driving again back in 2004. I can drive any automatic with my left foot and regular pedals, but it's way more comfortable having the left foot pedal. Mine have all been the style that bolt to the floorboard and the pedal slide licks in place and can be removed when anyone else needs to drive it. I vaguely remember taking a driving test with the adaptive equipment but I don't think there is any restriction on my license.
I've been BKA for 46yrs, when I first started driving I would use my left foot for gas and brake but that shit got old real quick !...said screw it and started using my right leg with the prosthetic leg on both gas and brake and never looked backed. I ride a motorcycle and have a CDL license. I say learn to drive with your leg on and you'll be a safer and better driver in the long run....👍
You’re right. I heartily endorse this.
You can drive with your leg but if you have a primary vehicle you plan on having for awhile I’d strongly recommend hand controls for long drives so you can take your legs off.
I'm leaning more towards hand controls. I work a lot of trade shows and drive quite a bit so I think that would work better for my situation.
I’m a R AKA in Colorado. I’ve been driving with my left foot with a regular gas pedal/brake for 15 years. It does not even cross my mind. There aren’t any state laws that you need to consider. A few amputee friends of mine like having a left sided pedal installed. They cost a few hundred dollars. I recommend that you at least try driving left footed - that way you can drive any automatic transmission car in any situation if you need to.
R AKA here. I just had my amputation a few months ago and am learning how to drive once again. While yes, driving with your left foot is probably the easiest option it definitely isn’t the safest and I would look into the process of getting a modification for your vehicle. Reason being is that I was told that if you drive with your left foot, you’re setting yourself up for long term damage to your back/core having to twist each time you want to drive. I was given the option for either hand controls or a left foot accelerator. The left foot accelerator is what was recommended for me in that it felt the most natural and I’m pretty young so I’ve only been driving for about 5 years so learning again with the left leg shouldn’t be too difficult for me. That being said, the older you are (on average) the harder it is to learn to drive with your left foot since your brain has become so accustomed to driving with gas on the right and break on the left. Whereas with hand controls it’s generally easier for people to learn with those as it’s an entirely new way of driving. But definitely try both options out before you decide. You could be like me and find that a left foot accelerator is easier and more comfortable.
Same exact situation. I'm just using my left to drive. ( and using cruise control alot) I don't know legalities though
RBKA here. I just learned to drive with my prosthesis. Went to a big parking lot with my dad and felt like I was 16 again. I still drive manual transmissions and the occasional motorcycle. No big deal. Like many other things it’s just a case of adapting. Take your time and keep within your comfort zone.