Experiencing the thrills of driving should be accessible to everyone. Sadly, technology is still filling in the gaps to make that happen, but it already has a stellar track record of helping people get behind the wheel. That includes those who lack mobility with their legs, which are typically needed to control the accelerator and brakes. Hand controls can fix this hurdle, and a new video shows how such a system works on a 2022 BMW M4.

It’s a straightforward setup. A bar located underneath the steering wheel controls both the accelerator and the brakes. The driver pushes down on the left side of the bar, and the BMW accelerates. Pushing forward on the bar applies the brakes and stops the car. The hand controls don’t complicate the start-up process either, with the driver pushing forward on the bar and then pressing the start button on the centre console before shifting into drive and cruising away.

Gallery: 2021 BMW M4 Coupe: Review

The driver gets a bit enthusiastic behind the wheel, but the driver does not have any trouble enjoying the M4’s 473-bhp twin-turbocharged inline-six engine. The setup even allows for the use of the paddle shifters for an even fuller driving experience. It’s an entirely different way to drive that’d trip up many of us the first time behind such a wheel, but it only takes practice and time to master, according to the driver.

It’s nice to see technology helping people live fuller lives, as technology should. It’s easy for tech to turn into time wasters, but actual innovations make the world a better place. One day, autonomous cars could – and should – provide mobility to people who never had it before or struggled to access it, and that’s a great goal to have. It looks like systems like these can work on a variety of makes and models.