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!!!

I'm sorry you got hurt OP :(

BUT, I think you're being a little bit unreasonable.

Electric wheelchairs are most often used by people who cannot walk AT ALL.
Mobility scooters OTOH, are often used by those who could walk around, say, a small shop, but not round a big town centre. They are built for different things.

The electric wheelchairs that can cope with rough pavements etc are often upwards of £6,000 that the wheelchair user, 9 times out of 10, has to find themselves, or they get given a manual wheelchair by the NHS which sometimes isn't suitable.

So there is a place for scooters, but I agree, users need to be careful and considerate. The lady should NOT have cut across you on a diagonal, I'm assuming the crossing was wide enough for you both to cross side by side?

Ok I'm calming down now. I'm human and I was upset, frightened and fed up. But I do think they should be more regulated. Maybe a driving licence?? If you can't drive one carefully because your reaction times are slower (as I'm sure was the case in my accident) maybe you shouldn't be driving one. If my son had been toddling along beside me at 2 years old she would have gone into him.

I'm not just forming this from one experience. There are lots of oap's on mobility scooters in my town and I've nearly been hit a few times now. Today is when it finally happened.

I don't see why more isn't done to ensure that those driving mobility scooters are physically capable of reacting quickly. That is the difference between a car accient and an accident with someone on a m scooter - if someone is driving a car they SHOULD be able to react quickly in an accident, I'm not sure a lot of the people driving mobility scooters can do so for whatever reason. That makes them very dangerous indeed.

I'd pay with my insurance. Which is my point.

They go too fast, there have been quite a few incidents where I live with scooter rage, one chap in particular springs to mind. Poor you, sounds an awful accident. I agree there should be insurance and a speed limit. Much better for the owner to have insurance than be sued for injuries caused, surely.

Kladdaka, your point about a tax on disability is a good one.

But I think more people than not on this thread have agreed that it is unreasonable for scooter users to be banned from pavements etc, and have recognised their importance for access.

I have an 11 year old with a mobility disability who sometimes uses a wheelchair for months at a time. I have a mother of 81 who is disabled by arthritis in her knees. I know which of these two individuals i think would NOT be safe to use a powered item amongst pedestrians, and it is nothing to do with the mobility disability and everything to do with age.

Kladdakaka, if that's what you think then I accept that, however by answering my original posts with flippant rudeness you do nothing to get people to see your point of view.

Maybe, just maybe, if you faced this shit day in, day out, you'd respond with flippant rudeness. The disabilism regularly on this forum makes me sick. This thread is just another version of the same old same old.

I'd pay with my insurance. Which is my point.

So you pay insurance to walk down the street do you?

OP, did she give details? Was an ambulance/police called? In your situation I think I would be taking legal advice, she badly hurt you and endangered your child. I would be furious.

Soory but I would persue a claim against the person, they cannot injure people and get away with it, they have to be responsible users.

I can't drive because I have problems with my ankles and feet, that doesn't mean I can't use a mobility scooter, so having a driving license is too restrictive I think.

I agree that scooter users should have insurance. I was in Boots once at the pharmacy - old lady in a scooter pinned a woman between the counter and her scooter, panicked and kept moving forward, slamming her legs against the counter. If we'd been in front of her and she'd done the same to DS , who was toddling, he would've had serious injuries. When someone finally stopped the scooter, she backed up and drive off without so much as an apology, leaving the woman very hocked and injured. It may have been an accident, but I'd lay money on the fact that she has done similar thing since, as clearly she didn't know how to operate the thing and seemed unaware that she had injured the woman. If insurance was compulsory and people had to prove they were competent users, ten I think many of these situations could be avoided, which would make things safer for everyone.

Oh and for the record, before I leave this thread which is making me annoyed, most mobility scooters are insured against theft. These policies also cover personal injury. (Just checked terms and conditions of mine)

Kladdkaka, sorry but I am not prepared to be told I am being disablist simply because I asked you a straight forward question, for all I know you could have been in favor of insurance for scooters! I will say again I asked you because as a person that uses a scooter your answer was more relevant in my mind than the views of people that do not use them.

I think the point is that when you are walking along the street you are not generally in a motorised, heavy vehicle which could severely injure someone... However, I think cyclists should have insurance, too, especially the ones that cycle on pavements!

Kladdkaka I like you and agree with you

I am in my late 30s and use a class 2 mobility scooter. It's really just a form of electric wheelchair that makes me feel less vulnerable and more 'in control' than a powered chair. I think it's because I feel like I'm actively driving, rather than just sitting.
I'm sorry you got hurt, OP, but it was just one user, not all of us. Saying that disabled people shouldn't be allowed to use the pavements really upsets me personally. Presumably you think I shouldn't go into shops or supermarkets either?
Class 3 scooters are the larger, motorised vehicle type things, with lights and mirrors that have to be insured and do 8 miles per hour on the road.

right with you, Kladdkaka

I am in my 20s and use a mobility scooter. I need my mobility scooter. It is taller and easier to reach things in shops than my wheelchair and even if this wasnt the case, my arthritus makes it painful for me to propel myself in my wheelchair. I cannot walk any distance at all. If I wasnt able to use the scooter I would lose what little independance I currently have.

Yes people use them that shouldnt, but people drive cars that shouldnt do.

I have very cheap insurance which covers me for 3rd party incidents.

Im not getting into arguing over the rights and wrongs but I just wanted you to know that without my mobility scooter I would be very miserable indeed.

Perhaps the OP didn't leave enough room for the woman on the scooter to maneuver how she needed to?

On of the reasons as to why the OP couldn't have moved out of the way quickly, could have been because she was pushing a pram.

So to decide the 'blame' would need reliable witnesses, that would be the problem with insurance

I have seen elderly people injured by prams, because many younger people don't seem to realise how you do not have an awareness of the movements of others.

If we insisted on insurance for the disabled, then prams and children should be included.

I have had a sprained ancle trying to avoid a child on a scooter.

spot on frowny.

We don't use them for fun.

Disability isn't a lifestyle choice.
We need them to do what you take for granted.

I dont think this post is disablist, its "ist" against those users who are unable to either use a vehicle safely, react in time if an incident occurs or who dont acknowledge (or even drive off) after injuring people. Disability has nothing to do with it.

and I am not "ist" .....or against powered vehicles having raised thousands of pounds to assist in purchase of powered transport for friends !!!!

Driving on the pavement

The offence of ?driving on the pavement? is potentially the most powerful weapon in the book and could immediately be used to great effect if the police wished to and had broad support in doing so. This offence was introduced way back in time by the Highways Act 1835 (section 72) which states that is an offence is caused by: ?driving on any footpath or causeway by the side of any road made or set apart for the use or accommodation of foot passengers?. You may be interested to know that it covers any ?horse, ass, sheep, mule, swine, or cattle or carriage of any description, or any truck or sledge? ? it is the ?carriage of any description? which is useful even though cars had not been invented at the time. Highway Code Rule 145 states: ?You MUST NOT drive on or over a pavement, footpath or bridleway except to gain lawful access to property, or in the case of an emergency?.

taken from here as well -it seems any carriage so could include prambulators or mobility scooters

I really don't think any of the posters on here or indeed anybody just going about their business the same as any able bodied person are mowing people down JanuaryJoJo. Accidents happen and I would assume most of those are down to either poor eyesight/hazard awareness or mechanical failure.
I would not pursue a disabled person for an injury claim as I can be pretty certain whatever injury I (hypothetically) sustained would pake into insignificance when compared to their disabilty.

Sorry that happened to you op. But its not the norm. I don't think they should go on the road because it would be far more dangerous. But I do hope your foot gets better soon.

They should be limited to a only 2 mph than the 4 and 8 that they are capable off. Also there is no reason why they do not have infra read parking sensor in front that automatically reduce the max speed. This would protect pedestrians and children and the users from potential crashes.