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!!!

Yes because we all have eyes it the back of our heads birdsgottafly

I am sure Novac, such justification was also used historically by other ist commentators.

Yawn

DaFreak, who said it was, nobody suggested so, only you, interesting...

Yes because we all have eyes it the back of our heads birdsgottafly

It isn't difficult to know if a mobility scooter is behind you, its called being aware and considerate of others.

I do see people walking around in a world of their own, inconsiderate of others, though and tbh, they derserve the accidents that they have.

If this was ever leglislated for, then children on pavements, on bikes and scooters needs to stop.

I'm always worried I'll get hit by a scooter, especially as it's so rare that I hear them coming as I'm partly deaf. Even the bells installed on some of them aren't loud enough for me, and I've sometimes had the driver of one of these things complain loudly that I'm ignoring them. And that complaint is usually the first hint I've had that someone's behind me.

It isn't difficult to know if a mobility scooter is behind you

I do my best to be aware, but short of turning my head constantly on a 360 rotation it's not always east when you're partly deaf.

@wellwisher

Why was my post deleted? It didn't break any of the Talk Guidelines. It says at the top of the screen that this is a topic for canvassing opinions and my opinion is that these scooters are a liability and should be banned, and that disabled people's right to get around does not trump the rights of the majority to walk around public places safely. Nothing I said breaks any of the guidelines.

Hello

Apologies if our policy on this is not clear; there are some grey areas in this debate (although you will see from our Talk Guidelines that we do not tolerate disablist posts).

Mobility scooters are an essential means of getting about for a lot of people with disabilities (as pointed out by a lot of posters early on in the thread). In our view, questioning disabled people's rights to use important mobility aides does count as disablist - although we're sure, wellwisher, you did not mean it to be so.

All best wishes to Wigglewoo - it sounds like a very painful injury.

MNHQ

Even if it was legislated against that would not need to apply to children as children are not held responsible in the same way that we expect adults to be so that is a red herring.

Aircraft, ships and even cars engaged in overtaking are expected to give way to and sufficient room if they choose to overtake and leave sufficient room to manoeuvre so it is not beyond reason to expect if someone is responsible enough to use heavy self propelled machinery on pavements amongst pedestrians that the driver is responsible for avoiding contact with pedestrians and not the other way around.

I am sorry about your injury op. it sound sawful and you have every right to be angry at that person.
But your op wasn't aimed at her. It was aimed at everyone.
Amd a whhelchair is very different from a scooter. Scooters are popular precisely becaus they are not wheelchairs.

Frankly a lot of your op was horrible, I'll informed and showed very little understanding of the issues.

I do think the speed of scooters should be limited. But if they are clos for insurance and tests, these should also apply to cyclists. I do not have the figures but I am willing to guess cyclists harm more pedestrians than scooter users do.

I hope your ankle heels without complications but please stop ranting about scooter users as if they were one homogenous lump.

There is enough shit being thrown at disabled people t the moment, that may be why some posters appear a bit sensitive.

Your ankle will get better and you will be fully mobile again. I hope it doesn't take too long.

If nothing else has been gained from this thread, it has at least reminded me to get some third party insurance for my cycling. (Not that I m conflating cycling with mobility scooter use, it just reminded me that I needed to do it)

FWIW I do think that anyone who uses a mechanical aid that is heavier than a squashy human for whatever reason, should be covered by some third party insurance.

What do scooter users who have no cover do if they are sued by other pavement users? I appreciate that if you have to use a scooter and it goes wrong and runs amok (we had one that refused to brake if the rider was using a mobile phone once) you could sue the manufacturer.

Heals well (I note we have some spelling police on the thread)

How was my original post "horrible" and "ill informed"!?

I actually said specifically OLD people, not disabled people. And I said old because of their delayed reaction times tendancy which I don't think anyone can argue with to be honest.

I am being made out to be some kind of totally insensitive idiot when actually - and here's a thing - my gran purchased a mobility scooter herself at age 83 because she was suffering from terminal bowel cancer (which I nursed her through at home with me) and she wanted to get out of the house for the last few months of her life.... So of course I understand the importance of these things. Just because someone doesn't share the same viewpoint as you doesn't automatically make them ignorant.

Yes, perhaps I have refined my viewpoint in that I tend to think now that speeds should be locked rather than being able to go at certain speeds and I do think they shhould have an automatic brake - I'm not certain they should be confined to the roads - isn't that the joy of having a discussion like this at all?! BUT if you'd just had your foot run over, broken and spent the afternoon in A and E whilst trying to stop your 9 week old baby being mowed down then I challenege anone to think completely clearly.

Wigglewoo

There was a thread a while back from the opposite side, but it ended in a similar way, these threads are always going to end up being a bunfight.

FWIW, I understand your anger and hope that you mend quickly.

The difficult there is what's old? I've nursed 103 year olds who went hope independently and 65 year olds with complex Medical needs who are totally dependent. Ultimately you're talking about a motorised vehicle with the power to do significant damage - certainly in your case and the link a while ago - and there should be some kind of competency test for it and possibly provision for both the safety of the users and those they may come into contact with. I still think where possible they should have a mobility scooter lane like the bike lane set up on a pavement.

Yanbu to be furious at the harm caused but the problem is when you apply your frustration to a group of people, many of whom would lose their independence without these machines.

Before I now get accused of ageism I think there should be a test of reaction speeds and ability to steer the scooter correctly. Of course many very eldery people would find this difficult but I don't think they should say "past 70 you can't have one".. My mums 65 and still works a 40 hour week in retail. I know all ages are not equal.

Where the hell do you want to put the old people then? On the road, where, no doubt, motorists will yell at them to get off the road and shout insults at them if they're not speedy enough?

Similar set up to resitting driving tests then? They need to be regulated for sure.

Yes that's right. Totally ignore the rest of my post wiggle
You are obviously mightily pissed off and aim to stay that way.
You asked why people dint just swap their scooters for electric wheelchairs.
That question displays a lack of understanding or put another way, it was I'll informed.

That isn't an insult as such, more of an observation.
Your op was horrible because you want scooters banned from the pavements.
So you want a huge number of people to lose their independence because one person hurt you.

Yes I think driving licences should have to be re-sit at say retirement age and thereafter every 5 years or so for the same reasons. (I'm not saying specifially those ages or gaps but it does seem ridiculous that some older people are driving around on licences they got during the war when they just gave you one - as my driving instructor warned me)!

cinnamonnut

Where I used to live there was a couple who used to drive their scooters in to town along a 5 mile stretch of country road (national speed limit) to the local supermarket every week.

So regular road use is possible.

BoneyBackJefferson

Possible, yes, but probably very unpleasant and frightening for some people.

Ofgs this still going, I'm sorry you got hurt but jeeze, you have a pair of eyes maybe you should have steered well clear and given the person with reduced mobility and an elderly one whose reactions times are slower more room.

Yabvu.

I can't quote names on my phones but I am sorry I didn't reply to the rest of your post. I didn't intend to ignore anything and I appreciate the sympathy. I am just understandably frustrated with the bunfight that has errupted from this.

I think I will just get a bowl of popcorn and take a backseat now.