to be considering getting a mobility scooter

[HelpMeTony]

I am not even 50 yet my mobility is seriously affected by health issues that are only going to get worse. I have just been awarded Pip disability benefit and thinking of using that to get a mobility scooter - even though DD2 is absolutely horrified.

I wouldn't know where to start with one though. I know there are large showrooms, but I am so embarrassed and uncomfortable that I dont know if I would manage to actually visit one, let alone test drive a scooter. Do they even do test drives?

I have recently bought a chair in my late 40's due to a neurological condition. I can walk a few steps, but I am very unsteady and use crutches to avoid falling down.

I bought a chair as legally you can go on buses and in shops, whereas a scooter may be told to leave.

I have a bag on the back of my chair which hold my crutches, so I hope that people will see that and know that I clearly can do some steps but I generally don’t get out of my chair bar the bathroom, as I don’t want to fall and hurt myself again.

I have this Foldawheel chair as it fits into a people carrier with DH, me and our four kids. Plus it has a range of 27 miles with the three batteries.

I have insurance from these people

When I leave it outside my parents house (they are in my support bubble to take me to hospital) I lock it up with this lock

As I told my youngest child. The sad thing is that mummy’s legs don’t work very well anymore, the good thing is we have so mummy can do loads of things.

Good luck with your search and enjoy the freedom a mobility aid will give you

Yy, it's all about the turning circle for me. Being in a chair which can essentially spin on the spot is the closest thing to being standing up – and a lot of spaces are designed with the assumption you can do just that.

With a scooter, you never forget that you're driving a vehicle, as you huff and puff backwards and forwards doing a zillionty point turn and working yourself into a jam you'll never get out of.

Yes, my chair has a very small turning circle. Makes it easier to manage.

Thanks all, definitely a lot to think about. I am really considering the benefits of a chair rather than a scooter - I love the one just linked but would need to see if I can get bumped up to enhanced mobility Pip for that one!

Would you think twice about getting an electric scooter for short trips if you were able to ride one and they were legal on pavements?

Probably not. So what's the difference? Just that you sit on it instead of stand and its legal.