At the woman in the electric wheelchair who almost ran over my little dd

[christie1]

In the grocery store we were walking and the woman a few feet in front of us in one of those huge electric wheelchairs, stops and begins to back up right at my dd (not on purpose of course). I scream and grab my dd out of the way. I stayed calm (really I did) and told her that she needed to be careful when she backed her chair up (I was not sarcastic honestly). She said "Well, I had the beeper on!". I heard nothing but I was yelling at her to stop and focused on moving my dd from the path of this huge chair. I just repearted that she really had to be careful when backing up her chair. I am still freaked out at how badly my dd could have been hurt if it had rolled on her.

Ok, here comes the rant but I am back in North america and I didn't see this as a UK trend when I was living there last year but over here, all these fat, fat north americas are driving these motorized carts and becomming a menace. I know, I know, some need them but honestly, it is problem of weight for many who are too big to walk now. It is sad. This lady I saw walking to her car later (the grocery store provides these carts free for people to drive around and get their groceries) and she was huge, but walking.

It's all so sad what we are doing to our health by our eating habits and these electric chairs for people who don't really need them are a menace.

My MIL is in electric wheelchair permanently but I totally agree about other members of society and what a menace they can be.

We were at a holiday resort (in the UK) two years ago and could not believe how many pensioners were driving them (like some new fad or trend!) Most were like small cars rather than wheelchairs and the driving standard was abysmal. The problem is most of these people won't pass a driving test due to age and health issues, but seem able to buy these motorised carts and drive them on the pavements !!

YANBU

DS2 got run over by one of these things. It was inside at a coffee morning, ds2 was standing behind it and the woman suddenly reversed with no warning! They are really heavy and ds2 screamed and screamed, I thought I was going to have to take him to casualty for an X-ray.

The driver didn't even apologise or admit that she was at fault

They lend these things out to shoppers at our local mall (not sure on what grounds - blue badge?) and last week some elderly bloke in WHSmith was positively dangerous - the manager had a word with him after he nearly mowed down someone's child and he just went off on one, absolutely screamed at her 'you liar! you bleeping liar! I never!' and so on like a bad Harry Enfield sketch. The whole shop went quiet, it was horrible. Then he just drove off, scattering people as he went.

Scary that these large vehicles can be given out without any kind of test...

Oh dear, your poor dd

Scary; I saw a near miss yesterday too. Why can't they swivel round before reversing ? Or swivel round and go forward, even better. The mother of the little girl nearly run down yesterday politely asked this and got a mothful of abuse.... Flame me if you like, but i don't thinbk the need for a motorised chair excuses such a cavavier attitude towards the safety of other people.

there was an old lady run over by one in our shopping centre a while ago, she broke her leg really badly and was dragged about 10 feet because the woman driving was too drunk to notice she had hit her. when she did notice she calmly got off and went into a nearby cafe for a cup of tea!

There are alot of older people where I live and they have these, I assume the council must subsidise them as there are soooo many. Many of the people using them really don't take very much care and expect you to watch out for them rather than the other way round. They just laugh it off when they rash into things which could be nerves but they can be really dangerous.

I must admit I've not come across this but I find it odd that they are allowed so freely. You couldn't drive a motorbike, or even a pushbike in a mall.

I used a motorised chair in the supermarket once (I am disabled but can usually walk). I have to say, that after quite a few years of dragging myself about painfully and slowly it was FANTASTIC to find I could keep up with my husband as we went round. The sense of freedom was amazing and, though I was in a chair, I felt almost normal for the first time for years. Yes, it went to my head a bit and I did wheelies down the aisles and practised backing and turning on a sixpence and all sorts of utterly irresponsible stuff. Please note, the supermarket was practically empty, and I would never had had the guts to get in one of those chairs if the place was busy - not until I was sure I knew how to control it. As it was, it was tremendous fun, I didn't knock anyone over (or anything) though I did bump into the customer services desk (apologised profusely). The staff were very friendly and fun, and didn't seem to mind me enjoying myself so much.

On a serious note, I wholly agree that these things can be dangerous and that users (disabled or not!) should drive them with care. We live a small town full of oldies and there are many motorised chairs chugging about, especially on market days. I've not witnessed any dangerous driving yet, but perhaps there are so many of them that the rest of us are just naturally more careful around them. That is not excusing reckless driving, though. The people described in this thread are just selfish rude b***ds and should be treated as such. I hope that if I ever do have to have one and I behave like that, that someone will have the guts to treat me like a normal person and abuse me.

can I point out that these are not wheel chairs.
a person buying one of thease does not have to be disabled or even having prblems walking. They most likely will not have had any imput from ant ot or anyone profesional.
I know this as my MIL got one second hand.
(lucky she sold it) My dads doctor actually advises against them.

Yanbu. When we went to florida last year there were loads of people using them and I'm sure most of them didn't actually need them.

YANBU in so far that they should be looking behind them as they reverse - much like car drivers

We get them here as well- mainly older day trippers. The drivers can be lethal! nearly ploughed down ds1 (whislt i was making agrab for ds3)- she screeched 'I'm disabled' so I screeched [So ia ds1 but I dontr want him deas as well' - I am turning into a right harpie!

My dog got hit by one in the park. Not badly, fortunately, but it was quite a shock. The lady had a dog herself, mine had darted out to investigate .I should have anticipated this and locked off his lead. But I hadn't realised quite how heavy they were and that therefore they have quite a lot of momentum and don't stop as quickly as I'd expected.

In this case it really wasnt the driver's fault, but they are a hazard and I'm afraid we need to be careful of our LOs (2 or 4 footed).

An old bloke reversed into DW in a supermarket a couple of months ago. He wasnt looking behind him at all, just reversed. He went "sorry" and then reversed off again, not looking where he was going.
Weeks later, DWs ankle area still hurts when she walks.

How hard is it to just look where they are bloody well driving? They'd expect the same from kids on bikes.

Perhaps there should be a quick eyesight test for people who loan them out? Not being funny, just genuinely think that if people are going to be given vehicles that can speed along and crush people, then the councils/companies hiring them out should at least check that they can see..

What i don't get is that some people think they're safe for road use! Often see them crawling along main roads, and over roundabouts.

I don't think it's their eyeseight that's the problem, but their attitude. It's a "I'm disabled, as you can see by my chair, so can do what the fuck i like without regard for anyone else" thing.

And I'm sure they "didn't fight in the war" for the right to be a complete tosser in the fresh meat aisle!

There was that incident of someone usinga mobility scooter on the motorway wasn't there?

the genuinely disabled poeple who rely on them are no doubt perfectly safe and practised (as much as car drivers are anyway! ) but the hire types- well!

HappyDaddy - did you have a go at him?
I do agree that being disabled doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want regardless and I think there are too many of us who think that way. I would want someone to tell me to behave like a reasonable human being, as after all, I want people to treat me like one. Isn't it about time we stopped being precious about it, pussyfooting around?

I didn't have a go. DW didn't seem hurt at the time so all I said was "can you look where you're going please? you just hit my wife" cue his "oh, sorry" and buzzing off still not looking.

the thing i always find difficult to remember is that it is the drivers and not the vehicles themselves which are dangerous. i know tht some people find them invaluable, and use them safely and considerately, but some people are menaces and should be told so!! the trouble is, that they don't really belong on the road or the pavement, if we had bicycle paths in this country it'd be ok, they could go on there, but really they're in the way wherever they go, and that's not fair either...

They all coming reeling out of Wetherspoons at 6pm after an afternoon of cheap alcohol round here.

i was hit by one outside my local shop. she came up behind me and just rammed me out of the way. i did shout, out of shock more than anything but she just said i should've moved to let her past - i didnt even see her!

i agree its the drivers attitude thats the problem not the chairs themselves.