Mandatory license and insurance for mobility scooters

[Auburngal]

The thread of elderly people and driving has spurred this thread.

Mobility scooters have provided freedom for those who can’t walk far.

But I think based on my experiences of seeing mobility scooter users in my work, other shops and where I live, there should be a license and insurance.

I believe many didn’t drive a car prior so I have no concept of control and speed. Either their disability/health conditions or with women, their late husband did the driving and she never drove at all.

Some drive at the max speed in shops - it’s only 4mph is max speed inside and in busy areas. My colleague got run over by a mobility scooter user. She was caught by her work fleece which was fully unzipped as she was crouching to fill a shelf. She was dragged about 5m and shouting by at least 5 people didn’t do anything as the guy was deaf. She had massive bruises on her legs.

A few months ago I was topping up the bananas and a lady crashed into the back of my legs. No apologies.

About 7 years ago a man on his mobility scooter missed the corner and collided into the end of the aisle where we had promotional bottles of wine. About 30 bottles were smashed and he carried on.

There is an issue with many mobility scooters users oblivious to their actions and attitude problems.

I believe that sanctions of dangerous use of mobility scooters should be the same as using a car. Mobility scooters are not classed as vehicles in law.

There have been people who have died after being hit by mobility scooters like here www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-65383596.amp

Who can use mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs
You can only drive a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair if one of the following applies:

1. you have trouble walking because of an injury, physical disability or medical condition
2. you’re taking the vehicle to or from maintenance or repair
3. you’re the manufacturer testing the vehicle
4. you’re demonstrating the vehicle before it’s sold
5. you’re training a disabled user

https://www.gov.uk/mobility-scooters-and-powered-wheelchairs-rules

But I expect that a lot of people disregard this anyway.

Your poor son, hope he was ok.
Accidents do of course happen, but her attitude was terrible. She should have stopped, apologised, check he was OK and given you her contact details in case you wished to make a personal injury claim

Very well said!

Years of cleaning corridors & waiting rooms gives you a long term clinical relationship with people to be able to say with authority that they only have minor mobility issues and their dietary habits? I know the NHS is strapped for cash and staff, but I'm not entirely convinced you're going to be employed in a position to know the extent of joint erosion, neurological pain, heart failure, kidney function or presence of bony metastases in the patients because they've got you doing the clinic appointments, rather than emptying the clinic bins.

Completely agree.

I think anyone trying to use any disability aide for fun would find that it stops becoming fun when your life is made more difficult, and you're treated like scum by people who think it's OK to abuse you in the street. Have you tried to get anywhere solely by scooter or wheelchair?

Yes, there should be some sort of education and then a suitability test prior to acquisition. Learning how to use a scooter safely and then assessing capability cannot do any harm. The insurance would probably need to be government backed to make it affordable.

No I haven’t used one I would prefer a car I have a health condition that causes pain in my joints but I am wondering why no one uses them for fun or even convenience. But actually maybe it isn’t so convenient as you say

Would you support the same for pedal bikes, e bikes and e scooters?

If not, why not?

Add an adult male weight into a bicycle weight and a speed of 30 mph- I know what I’d rather be hit with - neither!

Some teenagers in my area used to play a game whenever I tried picking up my young children from school, where they would pretend to walk past me and suddenly push each other into me. They broke my wrist and the police and school were involved. This isn't the worst thing people have done to me.
Something very heavy fell on my head once while at a meal and knocked me our. The ambulance can't take a non folding wheelchair so my partner had to ride my chair home. A bunch of teenagers started throwing stolen Halloween pumpkins and setting fireworks off at him. He said he's never been abused in the street before and not being able to dodge out of the way was horrible. He had to go past them twice due to pavement parking. People regularly ram me with prams or accidentally on purpose hit me with bags on the bus because they were asked to move. I would give anything to be able to walk more than a couple of meters without falling. If someone said they used a scooter for fun I would be so bemused 😄

It’s really not convenient at all. The first time I go out with anyone in an urban environment I get the same comment at the end of the trip: I didn’t realise how inaccessible things actually are. Most people don’t even register that they are stepping up and down or slipping round an obstacle, when I have a 22 inch wide wheelchair and have to navigate steps, compensate for camber and visually assess which gaps are practicable and which will force me to go back and find another route.

I love my chair but it’s not fun. Just more fun than being a recluse.

Sadly just about to purchase a mobility scooter. I have driven a car for about 35 years with only one accident (white van man ran in to the back of me - I was stationary, indicating to turn off). As such I believe I’ll be fine however I will be getting insurance as I feel it should be a requirement- same with ebikes and cyclists.

Lots of people who come in on a regular basis like a chat. I know far more about their lives than any doctor they see. Right now, there is a man who bought a mobility scooter 3 years ago when he had very minor (his words) mobility problems. As of last week, he was 6 stone heavier, has real breathing difficulties which he has said came on 2 years ago and he is a new patient in the cardio clinic. I would be surprised if he sees 2025. He is 52.

But don't worry. My post has been deleted, your virtue has been signalled and I am sure that poor man is now well on the way to recovery.

I agree with you - your scooter is still legal as a Class 3 on the road in the event of your licence not being renewed. Obviously, check with somebody who isn't a random on the internet - maybe the place you bought it from or where it's insured, but I think the .gov website is pretty clear on it.

So much this. While I occasionally meet people who restore my faith in humanity, the majority of those I encounter in my chair leave a lot to be desired. I’ve also had to stop using one of the local supermarkets because the customers there take ableism to new lows.

Just got a quick quote for a mobility scooter - seems very reasonable to me!

Yep them too. Insurance and a licence to drive one. Obviously there would be a much lower age limit and probably parents would be responsible for paying the insurance but they should definitely have to have it.

Cardiac issues, such as those caused by Covid, often present with rapid weight gain due to fluid retention. You'd know that if you were medically trained or able to use the internet to be more than just ableist.

I'm out 😄 As if society needs another way to treat disabled people like a menace. I'd like to see statistics on how many wheelchair users are injured by other people's negligence or dangerous parking/driving, versus how many wheelchair users injure others.

Perhaps they ought to have the same level of technology most new cars have - like adaptive cruise control so the scooter automatically adjusts to walking speed of crowds. Anti crash technology so the scooter beeps and breaks if it gets too close to others.

Some people really are a menace on them. I think only the flimsy ones that only go slowly should be sold and allowed in places such as shopping centres, shops and town centres as the big quad bike style ones that go much faster are dangerous.

What risk should I expect my 6 year old child to be in in a book store? That’s where we were when a lady on a massive mobility scooter narrowly missed ploughing into him, if I hadn’t yanked him out of the way he would have been injured. She then yelled at us, because clearly we were in the wrong, for standing looking at the shelf of books as she came speeding around the corner.

Ableist? You are just one of those people that throw 'ists' around to get conversations and people cancelled.

Labour haven't won yet. It will be a horrible society after they probably will do.

Off roaders enable disabled people to access their gardens, see to animals, go fishing or access sporting activities, unadopted roads, beaches, the countryside, steep hills, anywhere in inclement weather and a lot of standard roads/paths where they live.

Disabled people are not all confined to city centres with completely level access everywhere.

That's one person. It's nor fair to tar us all with the same brush. And having insurance or a license doesn't mean that wouldn't have happened. Otherwise nobody would ever be done for driving offenses. Are you seriously saying that because of the actions of one person you would make the lives of millions of disabled people more difficult?

OK maybe I'm not done 🙃 This is a subject very close to my heart. I'm not paying to do something non disabled people can use their legs for. Wtf.