Other topics
Transport 
Transport is an integral part of all our lives and should be made as easy as possible for someone who has suffered a catastrophic injury. Precise requirements vary but there may be a need for wheelchairs, possibly both manual and powered and perhaps an adapted car, van or a specialist vehicle to permit easier transfers.
When a car has been selected, it be costed for the future. This is straightforward, but consideration must be given to the ageing process which may make a different and more expensive type of car necessary at a later stage in life.
Against that cost, an allowance must be made for the cost of the transport which the injured person would have had if he had not been injured. This discount must take account of the type of cars which the injured person would have had for the rest of his life. In the same way that one must predict the future for the injured person, one must also predict it as it would have been if he had not been injured. So, for example, if part of the prediction is that the injured person would have done well at work had he not been injured, it may follow that he would have had increasingly expensive cars throughout his life. If so, sufficient allowance must be made.
What is useable now may not be suitable in later life, and thus the cost of simply getting about may increase: this must be considered and costed. Obviously, all equipment will need replacement, either because it wears out, or due to obsolescence. In either case, replacement costs have to be built in to the claim.
Any other expenses, such as taxis or use of relatives' cars, can also be recovered.
Assessment of driving ability
There are several centres for the assessment of a person's driving ability and it may be appropriate to make use of such a facility. Sometimes, it is necessary to seek a medical opinion on fitness to drive and an injured person may be required to notify the DVLA of the effects of the injury. One should remember that the ability to be freely and independently mobile is one of the keystones of many of our lives, which is taken for granted, but which may become crucially important for someone who has been injured severely. If driving is not possible, then consideration should be given to alternative means of travel, such as taxis or possibly even a driver (likely to be part-time, except where there is a full-time care package, in which case the support workers may need to be drivers).
Motability
In relation to cars or vans, one option is to use the Motability scheme, whereby the injured person gives up the mobility component of his Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in return for the supply of a car, with almost all its running expenses paid, for a period of three years. A range of cars is available, the smallest of which do not require a deposit, whereas the larger ones cost several thousand pounds in addition to the DLA. This is a subsidised service and can be very attractive, but again the overriding consideration is that all patients and families are different and what is ideal for one will be unsuitable for another.
There are limitations on Motability. First, the deposit can be very large. Secondly, the range of cars does not include all that are suitable, or desirable. Thirdly, there is a mileage limit, above which the patient has to pay a significant charge per mile. Fourthly, insurance may be difficult. However, the system has developed so that it is usually worth considering.
