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!!!

How do you know the owner wasn't completely rat arsed?

You can challenge people without being called disabilist.
however it is becoming almost impossible to challenge people without being shouted down for being professionally offended or whatever.

I am sorry but your medication analogy doesn't work

"We spotted an empty scooter outside a pub. I really do think there needs to be more regulations, you can't drive a car or a bike whilst under the influence, what makes a scooter so different? " Wow. I've never seen a car outside a pub. Never ever.

Honestly. Don't judge without knowing.

So, if you can't walk there, are you not allowed to go to the pub ?

taxi?

It is illegal to drive a scooter whilst incapable. Who told you it wasn't.
Why doneople have this idea people with disabilities get 'perks'

And it is perfectly reasonable for someone to go to a pub and not get pissed.

"How do you know the owner wasn't completely rat arsed?" Why do you assume they were? Why not assume scooter owners, like car owners, would drive if they were non-drinkers or only having one drink, and would take a taxi if they were getting rat-arsed. Do you get indignant every time you see a car outside a pub?

YANBU and I hope your foot is better

I often have a Sunday roast in the pub, and dont drink alcohol or have a small red wine. Not everyone goes to a pub to get drunk.

I'm going out on a night out in October with my due in group and will be hiring a wheelchair to go out in, I did think about a mobility scooter, as I won't really be drinking due to my kidney damage, but I didn't trust my skills at manoeuvring around other drunk people.

I think that depends on the pub, Ewing. I used to work in a local pub, twasn't great.

I'm sorry, I did have my wrong judgy pants on there. I used my past experiences of the local and allowed it to cloud my judgement. I still think there needs to be more regulation though, like a test before people are allowed to drive one.

A taxi to go 100m down the road ?

Pub food has been a lifeline for my parents since mum lost the ability to cook - they go to a different pub every lunchtime just about and share a £5 meal. But they never drink alcohol. So you'll see the two of them going to the pub, dad on his bicycle (very slowly, but much better than his walking) mum on the scooter. And I will admit, she is probably a bit of a liability on it, but very soon it will be the only independant transport they have to leave the house, so unless we plan to legislate against inconsiderate people with pushchairs, people on skateboards/microscooters, and tossers wearing headphones who walk into you, then I'll fight for the elderly or mobility impaired to have access to these

I see your point there, Dibble, but a pushchair and someone with headphones isn't as likely to cause someone serious harm if bumped into. Microscooters on the other hand...

Should all baby buggies be banned? After all they have only been around since the 1970s so no one actually needs to used them.

what would you you suggest then???????????????

op yanbu and there are many that see your point,as others have said this whole subject needs clear and legal guide line introduced eg insurance,speed

im sure when the mobility scooter first arrived take up was low but over the years they have become popular for good reasons and for many reasons

now there needs to be some clear and concise law on this

Thanks LadySybilde.

I'm not sure about the driving test idea, it might be a good idea for the heavier scooters which can do more damage in an accident. Perhaps the shops who sell them could administer a test before you buy, and offer lessons for anyone struggling. You'd also need some system for testing people who buy second hand. But if it was like a car driving test, where you have to pay for the test, book a slot ages in advance, and then travel to the test centre, I think that would be very difficult for a lot of disabled people due to transport and financial obstacles, and would be unfair considering that cyclists, who also often injure pedestrians (my gran got knocked down by a cyclist) don't have to take a test.

Children here do a cycle proficiency test, I think adults should do one as well.

To clear this up there ARE legal guidlines, in the Highway Code. It's fair enough to disagree with those rules, but there seem to be quite a few people on this thread complaining about the law without having the foggiest clue what the law is in the first place.

There's a huge section of Joe public who are not computer literate, Marmite. Do you know whether the guidelines are given out when a new/second hand scooter is handed over?

"There's a huge section of Joe public who are not computer literate, Marmite. Do you know whether the guidelines are given out when a new/second hand scooter is handed over?" Hmm I'm not sure about that one. I don't remember getting them with my scooter, but may have done. There was a demonstration when it arrived, in which they showed how to use it and told me the rules about not going more than 4mph on the pavement and using lights on the road. Perhaps there is scope for better education.

Education is the key to a lot of things.

Am sorry to hear about the injury done to you OP and the financial impact too.

My aunt is bloody dangerous in her mobility scooter, fortunately her husband walks alongside her - her son gave him a red flag to wave!

Last year a man in a mobility scooter reversed into me in the supermarket, he told me to bloody get out of his way, before accelerating off - no concern for me at all. People nearby were kind enough to ask if I was alright and although it hurt I was more amused at his sheer effrontery; later I had a cracking bruise down my side. I have noticed recently that some mobility scooters have reverse warning sounds on them, but the one that hit me didn't and tbh even if it did I don't think I could have moved out of the way quick enough, it was so zippy.

Yet they are a fantastic aid and wouldn't want anyone deprived of their use. I wouldn't want to see them on the road - far too dangerous there - but maybe they need compulsory insurance and number-plates like other vehicles that can be reported in the event of an accident.

Good grief. OP has every right to be extremely angry and distressed - she has suffered real and serious injury thanks to this menace on a scooter. Just because the lady in question is elderly and disabled does not give her the right to go crashing into other people leaving them injured, fgs!

(There's one lady in my neighbourhood who goes the wrong way down a one-way street in her electric scooter... fortunately it's a road where traffic has to go extremely slowly, and I quite admire her chutzpah but it's still not a great idea.)

A taxi to go 100m down the road ?

I didn't realise you were talking about your parents and going to the pub for lunch. I thought we were talking generally about people who use scooters going to the pub to drink alcohol.

How was my post disablist? Genuine question. I acknowledge the right of disabled people to get out and about but said that this does not trump the rights of the able-bodied to go about their daily business safely.

It is disablist because you are saying ablebodied people have more right to use the pavement than disabled people.

As a rule of thumb if you replace 'disabled' and 'ablebodied' with another traditionally opressed group and their opressors and it seems wrong it is disablist.

Try putting 'women' and 'men' or 'black' and 'white' and see if your post makes you think wtf?