To think that mobility scooters are bloody dangerous and there should be more regulation of their use?

[JellyDiamond]

I've just nearly run over a man on a disability scooter. I was driving along at 30mph, when he pulled off the kerb right in front of me. He didn't look anyway but when he realised I was coming towards him he didn't seem to know how to stop it and carried on. Had I been going any faster I would have hit him, had another car been behind me they'd have crashed into me...

I appreciate elderly and disabled people need to get about, but many of them don't seem to know how to use these scooters. There's an old chap near me who uses and one and drives along in the middle of the road, holding up traffic and refusing to pull over to let anyone pass. I've nearly been run over myself by them on pavements, in shops, in supermarkets and I've heard of people who have actually been bit and injured by them.

Surely there should be some kind of course and test for users before allowing them lose on the public? Maybe even an assessment to see who actually needs them rather than just giving them out willy billy to any OAP over the age of 70 wants one?

Yabu, so after 1 incident you want every disabled person to jump through more hoops to be able to get out and about.

I don't know if they've developed much but I had one for a while when I was in my twenties, it was waaay too responsive. There was a button to accelerate and a couple of times I pressed it too hard and ran in to things. They might be better now but I felt much safer in a manual chair.

Tinkly to drive any other vehicle you must have a licence and insurance; some alas don't but that's life. These are big metal objects capable of causing serious injury. Why should they be different?

I think they are fantastic things that have increased the opportunity to get out and about for so many people.

However, i do think there needs to be more regulation and some sort of training for using them. On the one hand for the users (like the chap who was recently knocked off his whilst he was using it on a busy road near us - I am often surprised that when they are used on roads there is no need for a helmet) And on the other hand for pedestrians (like my mil who was knocked over by one, and suffered a broken pelvis and collarbone as a result - the user of the mobility scooter, left her lying on the floor with my fil knocked over next to her, shouting 'you were in my way!!')

The problem with your proposal is that by the very nature of them, a significant proportion of users may not be of sound enough body and mind to pass tests needed to drive one.

Well they shouldn't be allowed to have one. It isn't right to have something because it makes your life easier if it could potentially cause injury to other people (and yourself) because you don't know how to use it properly.
People should have to have a course on how to use their mobility scooter properly before they can take it home and use it unsupervised.
The should also have to have third party insurance like other vehicles.

Lava helmets aren't legal for cyclists and they are more dangerous for the user.
The disabilist stereotyping on this thread is appalling.

They are not wheelchairs. They are like little mopeds. No one's ranting about disabled people, just that they can be dangerous and there needs to be more regulation

Tinkly

Please don't feel like that, not everyone is so ignorant. Glad you are finding joy in your new scooter.

Nobody, not one single person on this thread has said that people shouldn't mobility scooters. What people have asked for is that they be used safely.

I think some people are looking for offence where none is intended

Just to clarify by not on the road I don't mean "not allowed to touch a road" I mean they should be used as a replacement for walking. So anywhere you'd walk you should be permitted on a mobility scooter. People who park over dropped kerbs should also get fixed penalties because they are invariably selfish arses on yellow lines.

May I add that personally, I have never been rammed by a disability scooter. Been rammed plenty of times by prams and pushchairs though. Are you going to demand that people be tested before they can use a pram?

No one is saying people shouldn't have them, they are a fantastic tool for people who need them. But if they are not being used in a safe manner by some, then that needs to be addressed.

There are 'ignorant pedestrians' everywhere. If you're in control of a piece of machinery which can cause serious injury, then you need to be aware of that and drive it accordingly. If a person is unable to use one safely, then they should not be using one.

Tinkly, sorry but as I said in my post my mil broke her collarbne and pelvis after being knocked down by a mobility scooter, that would be unlikely with a pram, which is lighter, doesn't have as much power behind it and is more manouverable.

I in no way want to make it more difficult for disabled people to get out and about, my own ds is disabled and may well use a mobility scooter when older, and I think my mother will need one soon. But they need to be safe to use, for both the user and pedestrians.

I agree with you that more regulation around the use of mobility scooters is required. However, as a disabled person, I can also say that they are absolutely essential.

Please consider that a mobility scooter user is criticised for being on the road and on the pavement. I feel that the bigger types of scooters should be on the road provided it's not a very, very busy one, in which case they should be on the pavement with a low maximum speed limit.

I do have a right to use my scooter somewhere, whether it's on the road or the pavement. I understand you criticising specific instances of poor driving, but it's very unpleasant and bigoted to speak harshly about all mobility scooters and the people who use them. As a disabled person, it's very, very hard to have to use a scooter and to feel that no matter how carefully I use it, people are quietly cursing me under their breath. Cyclists are often audaciously thoughtless and nobody questions their right to get from A to B.

To summarise, I agree that there needs to be regulations, a test and mandatory insurance. BUT ou don't have a right not to be inconvenienced by disabled people needing to get about and you do have to put up with whatever solution is felt to be the best compromise. Without complaining.

Ive seen some that move and turn fast, when compared to other things moving in a pedestrian areas.

I'm upset by the tone of the thread too.

Please don't tell me if I'm allowed to be offended or not. I am offended as you all seem to think my mobility device shouldn't be allowed on the pavement.

This is not abuse at disabled people, but this is about people who are in charge of what is actually a powerful motor and using them safely.

If scooter drivers were on the whole sensible and safe, this thread wouldn't have happened, and it's not just one incident, there are more.

These days I am seriously wary when someone is near me on a scooter, because I have seen so many near misses that it's distinctly worrying.

There is a conflict here between the fact that it's mostly older people who have more requirement for a scooter, versus the fact that age does affect a person's ability to respond when driving one of these, in the same way it'll affect their ability to drive a car.

We have to realistic and assess anyone who wants a scooter, for the safety of everyone.

Incidentally, my powerchair goes at a fraction of the speed of my mobility scooter. I had three hours of training followed by a test before I was allowed to take it out of the house.

Meh, if traffic engineers gave more thought to the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, disabled people, elderly people etc etc and less to the needs of the almighty car drivers, we wouldn't all be scrabbling over a couple of feet of space at the edge of the road and being put into conflict with each other.

Can't get exercised about mobility scooters. Get very exercised about some of the lethally poor car driving I see all around me.

You don't need a licence and insurance to ride a cycle - they can also be dangerous (see my previous post)and can be ridden much faster than a mobility scooter.
You need a licence to ride a moped -but it is meaningless - you can zoom about on one with no training whatsoever on a permanent provisional license. And a lot of things technically classed as moped are big heavy speedy machines.

I believe mobilty scooters have something which limits the speeds at which they can travel.

The tone of this whole thread is 'aren't people with disabilities a bloody nuisance'. And it is pretty unpleasant. One group of vehicle users are being singled out as being more dangerous than others. This is simply untrue, there are dangerous drivers in all categories. Holding a licence and passing a test does not ensure sensible behaviour.

Cyclists are often audaciously thoughtless and nobody questions their right to get from A to B.

Surely you're aware of the criticism heaped on cyclists, right here on MN? (I'm constantly shocked by their lack of consideration).

No Tinkly we are not saying they should be banned, they are big metal objects that can cause a lot of damage if used badly, a buggy is hardly that. One poster said that somebody on a mobility scooter knocked a boy down, and had to be taken in an ambulance. Yes there should be proficiency tests for them, and bike users too, that should be mandetory.

I am offended as you all seem to think my mobility device shouldn't be allowed on the pavement.

No one is saying this, just that it needs to be assured that they are used safely.

Thank you, blankety, you managed to express my feelings better than I was able to as I'm sat here all upset.

Yes cyclists get it in the pants her on Mumsnet too.

Great post Blankety. Unfortunately disablism is ingrained that people aren't even aware they are doing it. It is like racism or homophobia 40 years ago.