Driver training for people with disabilities: full throttle different

Whenever Tina Schmidt-Kiendl demonstrates an evasive exercise during driver training, she pulls the seat belt particularly tight. “The torso is not stable, and when I go slalom, it knocks me back and forth,” says the woman with the friendly, alert eyes. The reason for the consistent fixation, however, is not the brutal G-forces, but the fact that the instructor has been paraplegic since an intervertebral disc operation four years ago and cannot use muscle power to counter the laws of physics.

Tina Schmidt-Kiendl, who has been giving people driving tips since 2003 and also worked in strategic planning at BMW, was not broken by this violent blow of fate. “For me, the wheelchair was as far away as Mars,” she says. The cheerful woman was still thinking about how to make the most of the situation during her month-long hospital stay. “The idea of ​​organizing driver training for disabled people was still maturing in the hospital”; says Schmidt-Kiendl and adds the reason, which has a daily relevance for survival for handicapped people. “We always have to think for everyone else on the road in order to avoid accidents. If someone drives us into the car, we can’t just crawl out of the vehicle.” After this sentence, there is silence in the meeting room of the BMW Driving Academy in Maisach, where the courses will take place.

Regardless of the relevance, there is no shortage of fun for the participants, because the HP squad definitely does not suffer from malnutrition: In addition to a BMW 430i and a Mini John Cooper Works, a BMW M3 Competition with 375 kW / 510 HP is also available as a training vehicle . So there is more than enough power for spinning and slalom driving. The driver training is similar to the classic advanced training in which the drivers refine the handling of their car and learn important driving maneuvers.

There was still a long way to go from the idea to implementation. “Fortunately, BMW supported me in this project from the very first second,” says the instructor during a test lap in one of the training vehicles. The most important element is the handicapped-accessible conversion, which costs 4,000 to 4,500 euros. Simply accelerating with your foot and braking will not work. A ring in front of the steering wheel rim acts as an accelerator pedal. As soon as you push it forward, you increase the speed. This system was made famous by the paraplegic racing driver Alex Zanardi.

The characteristic curve of the accelerator pedal ring is significantly softened so that inexperienced pilots do not have to constantly nod in front of the passenger. Every single detail is thought out. Is there a protective plate over the actual accelerator pedal that shields the pedal? Why? An uncontrolled twitch of the muscles and the resulting pressing of the pedal would have devastating effects. The brake lever is located a little below the familiar three o’clock position next to the steering wheel. It is delayed by pushing the stick down with the right hand. Does it all sound easy? But it is by no means. Even starting the vehicle becomes an art exercise: First of all, the handicapped-accessible components are activated with a button. Then you press the brake with one hand and start the vehicle by reaching over. If the engine is running, you slide the automatic lever to D and off you go.

As soon as the first hurdle has been overcome, the next one follows. Accelerating and braking are completely unfamiliar. Even the Playstation controller experience trumpeted prematurely by the author brought absolutely nothing, as the involuntarily consenting jerky head movement of the pitiful co-pilot shows. Accelerating is much more difficult than braking. After a few introductory laps, we’ve mastered the basic skills needed to give the passenger’s neck muscles a well-deserved break. The spinning on a wet road also works to a certain extent. It becomes more demanding when changing lanes, where the speed is gradually increased to 60 km / h and where you have to come to a standstill with an emergency stop after the obstacle. “Press down hard”, Tina Schmidt-Kiendl’s warm voice creaks from the radio. Only after two or three attempts, when the alarm flasher system starts, is the strict instructor satisfied with the emergency braking. “Exactly like that”, it sounds from the walkie-talkie.

The crowning glory is the pylon slalom followed by point braking in a virtual garage. Since the whole thing takes place on a temporary basis, the ambition of the participants is aroused. Now you have got used to the coordination task, but we are in a closed area with a lot of space. In real traffic you have to act in fractions of a second, since every mistake can have fatal consequences. Our respect for drivers with disabilities only increases after this training. “Yes, we always have to be fully concentrated. Typing WhatsApp while driving is not”; Tina Schmidt-Kiendl smiles with a wink that mutates into a broad grin when asked about her dream. “If there were to be an M intensive racetrack training session, my heart would open up,” she says with a smile. And who knows this woman knows that this wish will come true. But first the duty calls: The first driver training course for people with disabilities will take place on July 1st and the ten places are already booked out.