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!!!

The woman's behaviour was not acceptable but neither was the "poor little diddums is in a wheelchair" comment.

Saying that that is a rude, vile way to speak about someone who needs to use a wheelchair does not mean that anyone is excusing the equally rude, vile way that woman has behaved to Rabid.

But it does make Rabid just as bad as the woman she is speaking about.

I think there should be training, a test, licences and insurance for mobility scooters. I think if the driver is out of control and causes an accident they should have to pay up through their insurance and suffer the consequences of higher insurance, points which if racked up can lead to disqualification. ie treat them like drivers.

Whilst I realise they are necessary and probably have to be on the pavement, I find them a menace, especially in shops.

Evidently this is acceptable because the woman is in some way disabled

Treating someone differently because they are disabled is patronising, even when done in the person's favour. So if the woman is out of order she shouldbe told, but she in turn shouldnot be patronised by using a term such as 'poor diidums', that is not affording her respect.

It doesn't take much to be repectful towards people.

I find them a menace, especially in shops.

Once again, then the layout of shops should be more generous.

I find prams as much as a nuisance, but it isn't the prams, t is the width of the aisles.

We all need to realise that any of us are only an accident/illness away from being disabled and we will all (hopefully) be either disabled or old.

Oh that's an awful thing to say, amothersplace. You can choose to have a car or not, I'm disabled; I can't walk, I didn't choose to be unable to walk. My scooter performs the same function as your legs, not your car.
And you think I'm a menace? Charming

I don't care if you think calling the vile bitch diddums is bad, I just skip off and do something else.
I was at a scout event where she screamed at a child and made them cry then turned round and said diddums to the child, should have clarified I was using her word, still I don't really care.

I have personal experience of this woman and she really does think that the chair give her special rights to be a bitch.

Clearly I forgot this is Mumsnet and no disabled person is ever nasty, no non white person is ever racist and no one on benefits is ever abusing the system.

rabid, how come she is allowed to have anything to do with scouts. I agree with your last point. it can become like that on mumsnet and everyone walks around on eggshells.

Clearly I forgot this is Mumsnet and no disabled person is ever nasty, no non white person is ever racist and no one on benefits is ever abusing the system

So true.

Again, Rabid, nobody has said that being disabled means she is automatically a nice person but you really are not coming over as any better than she is and, I know, you don't care .

This one person does not represent every single other person using a mobility scooter though and if you are telling the truth about her and the constant stream of poor behaviour you say you have witnessed she would no doubt be a nasty person regardless of disability or not.

But it's not the scooter making her a bad person any more than it's your physical ability that is portraying you as badly as you are coming across here.

comma no, but she's using her wheelchair as a tool in her nastiness.

No-one said it was the scooter making her a bad person, it just enabled her to be a worse one.

No I do not want people to be 'hidden away' if they cannot trot about on two legs.

But.......Equality means just that and does not give anybody the right to use vehicles on pavements that go faster than walking speed nor to drive them in a cavalier fashion. By vehicles, I mean bikes, scooters, skateboards, buggies and mobility scooters.

Why should your mobility vehicle be given free reign to inflict injuries upon others? Injuries that could cause disability in others. That's not equality.

i knew this would kick of,this is one of the things i dislike about MN if you mention nationality,colour,sn etc your labeled as a racist,a disabilist etc

people who think more enforcment for scooters are NOT just saying it's the disabled that cause some of these incidents its also the elderly that use these,probably with poor eyesight and co-ordination,so not one particular group

as usual it ends up going of tangent to a degree,im tired of having to be so pc with everything in the real world and on mn frightened that i may use the wrong word or wrong term

Have nothing against them per se but have seen people using them travelling at speed (comparatively) and nearly mowing down children and adults alike.

sure there are good and bad mobility scooter users but we seem to always see the ones who are bad 'drivers' around here!

I can understand why you wouldn't want to use one on a main road but really don't see why the same rules don't apply as for cyclists - on side roads anyway.

CommaChameleon Mon 27-Aug-12 16:43:37
The woman's behaviour was not acceptable but neither was the "poor little diddums is in a wheelchair" comment.

Saying that that is a rude, vile way to speak about someone who needs to use a wheelchair does not mean that anyone is excusing the equally rude, vile way that woman has behaved to Rabid.

But it does make Rabid just as bad as the woman she is speaking about.

thankyou you put it better than my school holiday brain could,

So, I've decided to go for a stroll to the shops with my friends like any other 20-something year old. I can't walk that far and I'm using a scooter....on the road, so I can't walk next to my friends on the pavement?? That's inequality and segregation. Having the scooter is meant to help me do things that many people take for granted. Why can't I safely use the pavements too?

I don't disagree with insurance but some people here are being very unrealistic by saying that banning scooters on pavements is acceptable.

crashdoll

Why can't I safely use the pavements too?

we all could say the same

Why are you personalising the debate when if you are as sensible as you say you are then having insurance and passing a test of control should be no problems or disadvantage for you.

Why am I personalising it? It's because people are saying mobility scooters are vehicles and should be on on the road!

I think the pavement is the best place for scooters. Unless we get bike/mob lanes.

Are mobility scooters supposed to be limited to a walking pace when on the pavement?

It has been linked earlier that the maximum on the pavement should be 4mph.

that is a walking pace and tbh quite slow, dds chair has that as it's max speed.
are disabled people not allowed to "run"

Well in some ways, speed is irrelevant if the scooter isn´t stopped immediately.

i didnt realise how many selfish people there are in this world til i read all the messages, some good, some not so good, of all the people complaining about scooters and their drivers, no doubt they are able bodied and just take walking and running for granted because they still have that ability.i have a mobility scooter and her name is martha, i am not classed as disabled because i can take 50 footsteps before i get severe pain in my legs and i have angina and have had angioplasty surgery twice for my legs, the only reason i have martha is because i buried my brother in may, she was his, but i use her now she doesnt run over people in fact she waits for people on the pavement to pass and when there are alot of people or children or traffic about she makes sure that she is aware and careful of making way she isnt a nasty scooter because her best friend me loves her she gives me the freedom to go to the shop with my daughter who is 12 years old my daughter uses her scooter which goes twice as fast as martha so you see it not about making scooter banned or hating them its about who controls them, just like a gun, its harmless until someone abuses what its for.