Abstract: A control device for operating a vehicle, in particular for driving and steering a motor vehicle, includes a two-armed lever which is suitably supported so as to be rotatable about a rotational axis and movable in a direction perpendicular to the rotational axis in order to permit steering operations and moving operations. For allowing a translational and a rotational motion, the lever is operatively connected to respective user-actuated members such as e.g. a steering wheel and a foot pedal and cooperates with each control member of hydrostatic transmissions for the drive wheels. Thus, an actuation of the steering wheel causes a translational motion of the lever which in turn displaces the control members of the drive wheels in a same direction while an actuation of the foot pedal rotates the lever so that the control members are displaced in a direction opposite to each other.