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!!!

Wow, i had no idea these were so dangerous!

It's certainly a dilemma.

I've never seen an accident involving one but i did see one on the road the other day going very slowly and with a very elderly driver. There was lots of honking and sudden braking going on and it was very clear that the road was a totally unsuitable place for a scooter. I do think it has to be the pavement really.

A competency test sounds like a good idea though.

I hope you feel better soon OP

This very day, I witnessed a Lady walking yp a slight hill whilst I was in tbe traffic jam. A manin amobility scooter wa extremly close behind her as if he was impatient and wznted her to speed up or shift. I was shocked as of thos Lady carrying her bags had stopped this guy would have ran her over.

Mobility scooters on tne road is dangerous but I think a safety awareness campaign or making sure drivets are aware tbat their driving can be fatal or cause serious damage is needed.

Your accident sounds horrific. I hope it doesn't give you life long trouble.

We were in Spain recently and hire shops were hiring out tandem mobility scooters to British tourists!

I think there should be some sort of insurance and test for using a mobility scooter. They are a vehicle (a pram or legs are not) and all vehicles should require a test and insurance. Cyclists should have insurance too btw.

I think u should persue the woman as she may have done it b4 or she may not be fit enough to drive a mobility scooter. If you are not fit to drive because of certain aspects such as reaction time is slower or your eyesight is failing then u shouldnt have a motorised vehicle as thats not safe for anyone.

Are you going to hire a mobility scooter now you cant walk op?

I have been bashed many times by prams and buggies, supermarket trollies, elbowed and all sort, even had three cars crash into me. I have never been hurt or seen anyone hurt by a mobility scooter.

I think prams should have a licence and unsurance, they could damage a child very badly mowing people down, pinning people, assaulting feet and achilles tendons, I see it happen regularly.

I've never heard of a pram breaking a passer bys ankle, have you?

No pram is as heavy as a mobility scooter, and I have never seen a pram with a motor. I presume that the 3 cars that have driven in to you had insurance mrsjrewing?

YANBU - there should be a test and they should be limited to 2mph with NO override. When DD was a toddler she was nearly crushed by one reversing in a shop at speed by some elderly woman who decided she didn't want to queue (in a barrier/maze type queuing system so no easy way to get out of her way - no reversing lights, no beeping, just 'whee' backwards - I pulled DD out of the way but she still had her toes run over - in shock I said 'careful!' and got a mouthful of abuse. I daresay she thought I was being disablist too

There is an old guy round our way who is notorious for riding on the pavement at 8mph and he has caused several accidents.

With rights come responsibilities. Whilst I appreciate that these scooters give people a great degree of freedom of movement they otherwise would not have, it doesn't mean they are absolved of all responsibility to pedestrians.

I have been bashed many times by prams and buggies, supermarket trollies, elbowed and all sort, even had three cars crash into me. I have never been hurt or seen anyone hurt by a mobility scooter

They have caused death and serious injury...and worse still the drivers have escaped prosecution due to legal loopholes.

http://www.google.co.uk/webhp?source=search_app#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=accidents+motorbility+scooters+uk&oq=accidents+motorbility+scooters+uk&gs_l=hp.3..33i29l4.54484.69374.1.69957.33.26.0.5.5.1.662.5498.0j17j6j1j0j2.26.0...0.0...1c.sH4JrzLuoec&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=fcdf5dc674699092&biw=1024&bih=649 Google link to just a tiny percentage of deaths and injuries caused by motorbility scooters

Ooops try again!

I have been bashed many times by prams and buggies, supermarket trollies, elbowed and all sort, even had three cars crash into me. I have never been hurt or seen anyone hurt by a mobility scooter

They have caused death and serious injury...and worse still the drivers have escaped prosecution due to legal loopholes.

Google link to just a tiny percentage of deaths and injuries caused by motorbility scooters

I don't think they need to be banned but some sort of controls need to be put in place. They seem to be getting bigger and faster and in the wrong hands that's a bad combination.

They aren't designed to race around town centres in like some seem to use them for, they are designed to help those with mobility issues and therefore should be limited to a slow walking pace.

I was out once with my nan who was elderly and slow walking when one of these scooters zoomed up behind her and beeped for us to move out of their way! She wasn't best impressed when her request was ignored

I do think they should be capped at a walking speed

Well it obviously was if you both crossed the road at the same time.

Scooters do not have brakes so saying she had let go of the leaver means that she was attempting to stop the scooter the only way she could. I would also hazard a guess that the reason she zig zagged was because of the camber of the road, or the kerb was uneven.

BTW

I was once in a shop, using my walking stick and I stood aside to let an elderly lady past. Some woman with a child in a buggy couldn't wait the 30 seconds so responded by bashing the buggy into my ankles.

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

Well I think this thread has gone completely into the twilight zone.

Only on mumsnet can anyone even consider a buggy or pram comparable to a mobility scooter. I'm not talking about someone bashing into my leg and bruising it or even spraining it. I'm talking about someone running over my fucking leg and crushing my ankle into the kerb witht eh weight of the machine and breaking my bones! And I have lacerations from the tyres (clear tyre marks) over my leg. No pram would do that. At very worst you'd be tripped up by a buggy if the owner stepped in front of you but then the buggy would stop. It wouldn't need the person controlling it to then try and possibly fail to stop it before it clambered over the top of you - with the weight of a grown adult in it not a child. I seriously think people are being absolutely daft even putting the two things in the same risk category!!

The woman that ran me over approached the crossing at walking speed, yes. But as I explained when we started to cross the road she accelerated at some speed and crossed (the wide road!) In front of me bashing into me as she did. I was judging her speed by the speed she was initially alongside me at, not the way she accelerated. If her speed had been capped at a very low 2 mph then I am quite sure the accident would not had happened, and if it had an emergenvy stop then yes I would have got a bump but she would not have literally run OVER my leg!

(Excuse the spelling mistakes as - am on my phone havin g struggled downstairs on my bottom and hobbled into the living room to use my phone instead of the pc as my ankle is broken).

I think mumsnet is completely crazy sometimes. When I was lying on the floor afterwards several cars stopped to ask if I needed help (they had seen what happpened as they were on the rounabout) and they all said how crazy and dangerous it was that mobility scooters are allowed on pavements. I come on here to have a discussion about it and find out more about what might be done and I am called a disabilist and all sorts. What utter nonsense.

The woman that ran me over approached the crossing at walking speed, yes. But as I explained when we started to cross the road she accelerated at some speed and crossed (the wide road!) In front of me bashing into me as she did.

That's not what you said. You did not mention accellerating, you said you were crushed against the kerb, how did that happen if you were in the middle of the road.

YABU.

People are killed everyday by cars, we don't try to ban them.

If you cap the speed at 2 mph then a person on a scooter cannot make it to the other side of a crossing before the light change.

My point about the buggy was that some people uses buggies / scooters / walking sticks / umbrellas / pick an object inapropriately. We do not ban them because one person is an idiot.

(Excuse the spelling mistakes as - am on my phone havin g struggled downstairs on my bottom and hobbled into the living room to use my phone instead of the pc as my ankle is broken).

And every time you do that be thankful this is for a few weeks, not a lifetime. It might give you some appretiation of the difficulties others face.

She accelerated as we crossed the road together and cut across trying to get in front of me crashing into the side of me, as she was travelling at speed and I had the pram I then pushed the pram out of the way and ended up being pushed along with the scooter to the side of the road where I fell over agaunst the kerb.

I'm sorry in my shocked state I didn't include every detail.

Oh yes I should be thankful everytime I struggle around on my broken ankle because it gives me some appreciation of what those with disabilities face .... How ridiculous and patronising to those with real disabilities.

The comments that Ops injury gives her just a taster of what disabled people face and the implication she will get better and so should be grateful/forgiving/what? are the most stupid comments i have read for a long time on here. Just listen to yourselves.

I think that in cities, busy areas / shopping centres etc they should be limited to a walking speed, then inopen areas non busy places they canwhizz round on top speed. Cars have to respect speed limits so should they. They should still be entitled to use pavements etc but there should be basic rules. - as with cyclists etc.

They should have to have some sort of test before using them.

There's a few times I've been nearly knocked flying. One woman actually clipped my ankle trying to get past me on a very narrow path.

Op yanbu to be upset. Of course they need to be used to they need to be regulated in terms of size/weight and speed. I have been hit by one in a lift with my newborn dd in her buggy ( and before anyone has a go at me for using the lift 1. It is a very tall building everybody usesnlifts and 2. Eveif i had wanted t get out to let the woman in i couldnt have because she didnt gove me chance before blocking the door).

I was hurt and my buggy was bent (thankgod baby dd insude was ok). This scooter was one of the very large ones i dont see why the slightly smaller/lighter ones are no good especially if you intend on riding indoors (shops etc).

OP in your original post you say this happened when you were crossing a road, you were not on a pavement?

Did you give the motorised mobility scooter a wide berth or were you too close to it?

I'm sorry you were hurt, but I too would consider them motorised wheelchairs. As long as they maintain the speed limit about poster already described as 4mph then there's no problem and you are being unreasonable.

The comments that Ops injury gives her just a taster of what disabled people face and the implication she will get better and so should be grateful/forgiving/what?

Maybe just a bit, a tiny, tiny bit of understanding. Instead of wanting all mobility scooters from being banned.

Oh yes I should be thankful everytime I struggle around on my broken ankle because it gives me some appreciation of what those with disabilities face .... How ridiculous and patronising to those with real disabilities.

That would be me then? You have no idea how patronising people are to those of us with real disabilities.

And as for details of the incident, you have changed your story several times. From your last version it appears you could have let her pass you. Oh sorry, no she should not be allowed to travel at a normal walking speed. And I'm also amazed at how she could manouver a scooter so expertly, I certainly can't overtake and cut up on one. Did she do wheelies as well?

5dcsinneedofacleaner

Tey are regulated for size and weight. Some people need the bigger ones for back problems or because they have to travel 2 miles in a scooter before they get to the shop.

I'm glad your dd was OK and I have no problem with someone with a baby using a lift, why would I? But again, one person (or even a few) behaving like idiots does not mean IMHO ALL scooters should be banned.

I tend to see people going very fast around supermarkets, I wish people would be abit more considerate when driving them in public places.

Oh come on! The OP's ankle is broken. She went out to the supermarket and came back with a broken ankle courtesy of a woman who plainly cannot control the vehicle she is in charge of. This shouldn't happen. To say it's basically a good thing because now she can endure something of what the disabled endure is so petty and bitter it's unbelieveable.