The invention is a control apparatus for a personal vehicle, in particular for wheelchair (10), the control apparatus comprising: a first motion sensing unit (11) adapted for being mounted on a body part and for determining orientation with respect to an external frame of reference, a second motion sensing unit (12) adapted for being mounted on the personal vehicle and for determining orientation with respect to the same external frame of reference, and a processing unit (13) adapted for outputting an inertial control signal corresponding to a relative orientation of the first motion sensing unit (11) and of the second motion sensing unit (12) determined on the basis of a first orientation supplied by the first motion sensing unit (11) and of a second orientation supplied by the second motion sensing unit (12). The invention is furthermore a personal vehicle provided with the control apparatus, and a control method therefore.