Mandatory license and insurance for mobility scooters

Bikes too while you're about it.

My grandmother had a mobility scooter for 5 years before she died aged 97.
Her vision and hearing were poor and she was on medication that affected her balance. Despite this she never had an accident or problem while riding it. She only used pavements and drove at a slow walking pace and people kept well out of her way.
Without the scooter her last few years would have been miserable.

That's great. I'm sure that you will save many lives by having my post removed.

That'll stop'em.

Yes, of course, thank you for asking (I appreciate you're on an earlier page than my later post).

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5108437-mandatory-license-and-insurance-for-mobility-scooters?reply=136400258&utm_campaign=reply&utm_medium=share

And while they are at it they can do the same for ebikes and escooters.

https://www.eta.co.uk/mobility-scooter-insurance/

Do you have a source for this please? I live in England and didn't think it was necessary to have a licence here.

Could you clarify your medical qualifications and experience for readers? Just so everybody's aware that your opinions are based upon expertise and qualifications and not just common or garden ableism?

Thank you 🙏

although no need to google when you can start a thread to incite twat-like behaviour from anonymous people about the already vulnerable disabled. 🤨🤨🤨🤨🤨

I once ended up in hospital after someone on a bicycle crashed into me. Do people using bicycles have insurance? Or children on scooters?

Reported for your appalling ableism & weight shaming.

PLENTY of us who use mobility scooters also drive cars! What a weird presumption to make. Why do you think they make 'Car Boot Scooters?!' I have a hoist in my boot which lifts my scooter into the back of my car ffs!

4mph car boot scooters cannot legally go on the road, only the bigger 8mph ones can.

I can drive my scooter perfectly well thank you. I do not need "insurance"

"The suitability of the mobility aid to the user should be regularly assessed by medical professionals. If there's any doubt about their ability/capacity to safely operate a scooter then they should not be permitted to use one, and alternatives considered."

@Coolblur

I'll think that reasonable when that also applies to cyclists and e-scooter riders.

My mum is a scooter user and I completely agree. I made her get insurance after some questionable driving. She’s much better now but still!

As nobody seems able to use Google

https://www.gov.uk/mobility-scooters-and-powered-wheelchairs-rules/classes

Class 2 and 3
Your mobility scooter or powered wheelchair is usually in:

1. class 2 if it has a maximum speed of 4mph or less
2. class 3 if it has a maximum speed of 8mph

Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs in class 2 and 3 can be used:

1. on pavements and other pedestrian areas
2. on cycle tracks

Class 3 mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs can also be used on the road. You need to register them with DVLA.

Mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs in class 2 and 3 cannot be used on cycle lanes.

Not in a class

Your vehicle is not in a class if:

1. it can go more than 8mph
2. it’s wider than 0.85 metres
3. it weighs more than 150kg (or 200kg if you need any equipment attached to it - for example, medical equipment)

If your mobility scooter or powered wheelchair is not in class, you can only use it on the road.

You cannot use it on:

1. pavements or any other pedestrian areas
2. cycle tracks or cycle lanes

You need to:

1. get a valid driving licence to drive one
2. register your vehicle with DVLA

You may also need to insure your vehicle. Check how to insure or register your vehicle.

If you cause an accident while driving a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair that’s not in a class, you can be given the same penalty as if you were driving a car. You can go to prison, get a driving ban or get an unlimited fine.

But I think based on my experiences of seeing mobility scooter users in my work, other shops and where I live, there should be a license and insurance

Do you think there should be a test to be passed before the licence is issued?

Insurance only becomes unaffordable if the insurance companies have to pay out on legitimate claims.

If there is a genuine danger that insurance on mobility scooters would become unaffordable, that suggests that there would be many successful claims, suggesting in term that there is a real problem.

🤣

Quite fast if rolling down hill and quite heavy if one rams into you it can knock you over

A family member was knocked down and run over, ending up pinned against a wall underneath a mobility scooter driven by someone without a clue of how to safely operate it. Their injuries required time off work and exacerbated their own medical condition. They later got some compensation, not from the driver of the scooter, who apparently couldn't be held liabile for their actions, but from the supplier of the scooter who had failed to ensure the driver understood how to operate it.

I agree that more needs to be done to ensure the safety of both users of scooters and members of the public. The suitability of the mobility aid to the user should be regularly assessed by medical professionals. If there's any doubt about their ability/capacity to safely operate a scooter then they should not be permitted to use one, and alternatives considered.

Cyclists go faster. Tackle them first then I'll listen to your proposal to cap the freedom of the disabled.

That’s what I said. They are younger people with disabilities.

YABU. While I understand the sentiment, mobility scooters are the only way elderly people can get around. It's akin to instituting a licence and insurance to walk. It's authoritarian jack boot nonsense. I'd like mandatory licence and insurance for every lycra-clad cyclist, however.

I don't think the licence and insurance requirements should be anywhere near as rigorous as for cars, and I agree that putting barriers in the way for disabled people is inappropriate. Unfortunate as the accidents described on this thread are, they aren't fatal and don't have the same capacity for causing multiple deaths as cars do.

i have a friend whose son has multiple disabilities and who has a mini mobility scooter at the age of 6. I don't want any legislation to take away that child's independence and freedom.

But I'd support a lower level of licencing if the admin wasn't too onerous on state budgets.

4mph is too fast for a mobility scooter speed. I'm not a fast runner but my jogging speed is about 4mph. A fit man with long legs can certainly manage a brisk walk at 4mph but more normal walking speeds are more like 2.5-3 mph.

I would propose that there should be a licence for vehicles with a maximum speed of 2.5mph but that everyone of any age is presumed to qualify instantly and can just have it on application (like dog licences used to be pre 1988) but if you are deemed responsible for causing a serious incident a court can remove it or impose restrictions/order that you undergo additional training. No court would totally ban a disabled person from using their mobility aid but could order a person to pass a competence test within 3 months or be held in contempt of court, and could order for an even lower speed limiter device to be fitted.

A medium level licence could also be possible for other motorised vehicles with speed limiters fitted set to between 3mph and 14 mph which does require a more comprehensive test and licencing system and these vehicles should not be allowed inside shops. They are vehicles not mobility aids and anyone who loses their car licence should not be allowed to drive these, but the test should be easier to pass than a driving test. This would cover higher powered mobility scooters, electric scooters and electric bikes. Minimum age of 12 to use them and insurance and licence plate mandatory.

No licencing for unmotorised vehicles like foot scooters or bicycles without motors fitted. There have been many many threads on how utterly stupid and unworkable any such scheme would be and I can't be arsed to type out all the reasons again. But any user of such things should always give priority to pedestrians and shouldn't be on pavements unless they are officially "shared use" combined cycle paths or the rider is under 12.