Overlawyered: Chronicling The High Cost Of Our Legal System

Car-sharing services sued

ZipCar and FlexCar are violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not providing special hand controls for disabled drivers, according to a lawsuit which also names the District of Columbia as a defendant because it provides parking spaces to the popular car-sharing services. (Hank Silverberg, “Disabled Woman Files Lawsuit Against Car-Sharing Services”, WTOP, Oct. 11).

ZipCar and FlexCar are violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by not providing special hand controls for disabled drivers, according to a lawsuit which also names the District of Columbia as a defendant because it provides parking spaces to the popular car-sharing services. (Hank Silverberg, “Disabled Woman Files Lawsuit Against Car-Sharing Services”, WTOP, Oct. 11).

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6 Comments

  • How do regular car rental companies handle this?

  • It looks as if many of the major car rental places do have hand control vehicles.
    Most seem to require the vehicles be requested in advance.

    • By Kevin M

  • Those disabled who file these suits just give the disabled a bad rap.

    Let’s be realistic. No fleet can have the full range of disability accommodations, from hand controls, pedal lifts, wheelchair hoists and myriad other devices. Further, these devices might be safe enough for use when practiced individuals use a car with them, but no doubt there would be some serious safety issues for the average joe in a car equiped with hand controls for gas and brake. Accessibility for some means inaccessibility for others; in this case the able bodied suffer a relative inaccessibility through increased person and public risk when subject to vehicles cluttered with accessibility aids.
    This is an instance of tyranny of the minority.

    • By nevins

  • Yay, another service that can become unavailable to EVERYONE instead of unavailable to a tiny percentage of the population.

    Ain’t it great?

    • By Deoxy

  • She can use the settlement to buy a car…it’s brilliant.

    • By Heather

  • Deoxy,
    Haven’t you heard? All inequality is bad. Just like you learned in kindergarten–If you didn’t bring enough for everyone to share, no one gets any.

    • By jb