to think that mobility scooters should not be allowed on pavements after one fractured my foot crashing into me today?

[Wigglewoo]

I was out with my ds 9 weeks earlier about to cross the road outside my nearest tescos when a very elderly lady in her mobility scooter came alongside me and proceeded to cross the road with me. For reasons known to her she then zig zagged in to me causing me to fall over and then dragged me into the kerb, with her still failing to apply the brakes despite me screaming at her to stop. I luckily managed to push the pram with ds in it half onto the pavement and out of the way (it could have been really very nasty had I not).

The woman still did not apply the brakes and to cut a long story short my foot was crushed between the kerb and her moving wheel, which then drove over me and only stopped when I effectively pushed her nearly over.

She said to me that she did not know what happened and that "it normally brakes when I let go of the handles" - ????

I spent the afternoon at hospital. I have a fractured ankle and lacerations to my leg. Dh has had to take time off work (which we will lose money for) to care for me and ds.

I was in shock after the incident so I didn't say anything much to the woman who was in her 80s or 90s I think but now I am home I am livid. I realise old people need to get around but surely they should have a sensible speed limit and shouldn't be on the pavements??? Its illegal to cycle on the pavement isn't it so how comes that's worse!? Or is it illegal!!? Confused!! And in pain!!!

[ivykaty44]

YABU

So due to one bad driver of a mobility scooter you want every single scooter driver banned from using the pavements

sorry that you got run over but you need to take this up with the driver not tar everyone with the same brush

[ChairOfTheBored]

YABU - surely you can see it is far more dangerous for all involved (except you, and I do hope you're recovering OK) for them to be forced into the road?

[CMOTDibbler]

Sorry that you've been hurt like this, but mobility scooters (which are restricted to v low speeds) are allowed on the pavement as they are essentially powered wheelchairs. And certainly my mums doesn't have brakes, you just let go of the go lever.

[Wigglewoo]

But there is no need for a motorised vehicle to be on the pavement.

I don't understand why its illegal for a cycle and not for a mobility scooter!?

[addictedtotoast]

It would be far more dangerous if they were on the road

[Kladdkaka]

Comparing someone using a mobility scooter to someone using a bike is pig ignorant. YABVVVVVVVVVU.

Disabled people are entitled to full access to same areas you get use. YABVU.

[Wigglewoo]

Why not just have electric wheelchairs then?

The whole point of mobility scooters is they go faster which I think is dangerous.

[chickenwingsmmmm]

Yabu to want them band. But I am not sirr what the solution is. It happens, not often, but it happens.
My granddad can not control his and man in our town had his impounded after he caused 11 people to be injured, although I believe he did this on purpose.
A man ran into my mum (who is disabled) and cause further damage to her feet.
I love in a City and have a business in the city centre. Every few months you here of a similar incident.
But then there are incidents with people with push hairs, scooters, cars, bike etc.

[SecretNutellaMedallist]

If it is one that will go at no more than 4mph then she can use it on the pavement. If it's a higher powered one it must be used on the road.

[tuhne]

YANBU I don't see why they are allowed on the pavement yet cyclists aren't

[SecretNutellaMedallist]

sorry, cut off a bit quickly. If it's being used at more than 4mph that is.

[JumpingThroughMoreHoops]

YANBU - maybe its an area thing, 99% of scooters here drive in the road - and I'm in London.

Sad thing is, there is no driving licence requirements for this, therefore no insurance. You might as well give someone a loaded gun.

[RabbitsMakeBrownEggs]

But I need to be able to get to the shops and they are in the town centre, which is pedestrianised.

Add to the fact that half of mobility scooters are made for use on pavements, not roads (it's easy to tell, some of them require road tax, and some of them don't).

[freddiefrog]

They're a bit of a nuisance around here. It's not the scooters, it's the way they're driven but unfortunately most of them are driven badly, not all, but the vast majority.

An elderly lady died when she was hit by one a couple of years ago

[VivaLeBeaver]

But if mobility scooters were on the roads there would be a lot of frail, elderly people killed by cars.

I'm sorry about what happened to you but the majority of mobility scooter drivers aren't a problem. My dad wouldn't have been able to leave the house without his, he never ran anyone over. There's no way he would have felt or have been safe on the roads due to cars whizzing along. All the motorists would complain about how slow they go as well. I do think they should be restrictted to walking speed though, I think some can go a bit faster, like 8mph?

[OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos]

There is a very clear and understandable need for motorised 'vehicles' on the pavement, obviously.

I'm sorry you were hurt, and probably scared, but YABU. It was an accident, just like the ones that happen between cars that are validly and legally on roads every day.

[nancy75]

I do think that they should have some kind of third party insurance, why should somebody be run over, hurt and then out of pocket through missed days at work akk because of someone else?

[SecretNutellaMedallist]

it's in the Highway Code, Rabbit.

Powered wheelchairs and scooters MUST NOT travel faster than 4 mph (6 km/h) on pavements or in pedestrian areas. You may need to reduce your speed to adjust to other pavement users who may not be able to move out of your way quickly enough or where the pavement is too narrow.
[Law UICHR 1988 reg 4]

[Wigglewoo]

I'm not ignorant not being discriminatory.

Of course disabled people should have full access to areas.

All I am saying is they drive too fast so maybe the speeds should be locked at lower levels or electric wheelchairs! They are not so heavy and dangerous.

[hermioneweasley]

You poor thing. YANBU to be thoroughly pissed off. I'm not sure the answer is to force all motability scooter on the road, but perhaps there needs to be some sort of driving test because she clearly didn't have control of hers. Nasty enough as it was and lucky it wasn't worse.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Electric wheelchairs wouldn't be able to cope with rough pavements, dropped kerbs, bumps, steep cambers the way a scooter can.

[ChairOfTheBored]

tuhne, OP do you really not see the difference between a cyclist and a motability scooter? Not even a bit?

To help, here's a short list off the top of my head:

Speed - cyclists can go much faster, and move at a more appropriate speed to help move around other road users
Manoeuvrability - bikes much easier to ride in traffic
Size - people make enough of a kerfuffle about giving cyclists room, can't imagine them giving enough room to scooters
Vulnerability - generally the people using the scooters will have a physical impairment which means it is much safer for them to be on the pavement, away from things that could kill them.

Am sure there are others.

[piop]

YABU disabled people need access to pavements. Having said that they do tend to be driven horrendously in my experience.

[twlight]

i dont think YABU - i would be livid as well, if a 15 year old was on one and ran people over everyone would be up in arms - a lot of these people using the mobility scooters aren't disabled anyway, they are old, can't see or hear properly and their reactions are slow. No they shouldn't be on the pavement - or the road. and they should be made to do a driving test to make sure they are not running innocent people over !

[BlackberryIce]

Yanbu!