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

I know/knew couples who the man only drives/drove cars. The woman of the couple never drove at all and in 90% of couples, the man dies first - leaving the woman losing her freedom as PT is crap where they live/lived,

You can, but you can't get a car too.
I opted for the car because it would be used more and had to buy my mobility scooter

You're mixing up class 3 and All terrain/not in class there - most 3s look like mobility scooters, not ATVs (which are what most people call quad bikes).

I do sometimes have concerns when I meet people who have a dementia diagnosis and who have had to surrender their license as unfit to drive, but then they subsequently purchase big mobility scooters.

Yes, the retailer "should" make sure they assess the person. But even when they can see that the person isn't suitable, it's not straightforward to just refuse.

I know an individual who has been through several scooters because he crashes them. Staff from mobility shops have rung up with concerns about this man appearing with wads of cash and insisting on making his purchase. (He's very rational and eloquent and doesn't remember that he's done all this before). He's been stopped by police for dangerous driving, he's hit someone and put them in hospital... And still he carries on because he doesn't remember what's happened before or realise there's a problem. We raise safeguarding concerns and alert the local authorities and somehow no one can stop him.

Statistically, most disabled people can drive so anecdote does not equal data.

A class 3 mobility scooter driven on any public land must be registered with the DVLA. There just isn’t a requirement to display the registration number. They all have them though.

I’d like to see the evidence that the majority have never driven a car.

Surely it would depend on the scooter? I have a friend who uses a little one that she used to be able to fold up and put in her car. it was also fine to use on a bus.

There are scooters out now that are fucking massive... are pretty much automatic trikes, with the weight and speed to match road vehicles. I see some that do have number plates on.

Today I saw a man on a mobility scooter driving down the main road into town (London suburb and VERY busy). A huge line of traffic was crawling along behind him but it was an accident waiting to happen. Oh and pavements on both sides so no idea what he was doing.

I admit I have little experience because these are not common in rural areas. Aren’t you talking about a test to decide if someone can be ambulatory?

I find that idea frightening. It may be necessary, but it still scares me. I would want to see some real stats before supporting such a plan.

What a shitty post.

It’s clear that there are different classes of mobility scooters. Some are indeed similar to “legs” in that they are more wheelchair-like. Others, however, are bigger and more like small cars, and it’s apparent that some people are buying them immediately after having a license revoked or after a non-driving spouse dies, which suggests something pretty different to “This is my legs and I can’t walk without one.” There may be a case for some regulation of the bigger scooters.

My lovely late neighbour didn’t ever have a driving licence. As his mobility worsened, he got a mobility scooter. A few months later he had an accident on it and fell breaking his hip. He never made it home and died in hospital of sepsis. Only mid 60s and we miss him.

I’ve seen people crashing into pedestrians on these too. Agree with you OP.

I saw a lady on a massive mobility scooter (like you would go on the road on) take out a display of flowers in the supermarket only last week.

Not sure what the answer is here. Maybe the really big ones should be banned from the supermarket. But then obviously people still need groceries...

I think we should start off by dividing these things up by size/speed - for any given scooter, is it basically a "walking substitute" (smallish, only goes at walking speed) or a "car substitute" (bigger and faster)?

Ones which are walking substitutes should be treated as wheelchairs and allowed to go anywhere (obvs). Ones which are car substitutes should be treated in a similar way to bikes/cars/golf buggies and not allowed in buses or shops.

If someone has mobility issues to the point that they cannot move around inside the shop without a scooter, they will need to use one of the scooters that is smaller and treated more like a wheelchair so that they can enter the supermarket without getting out of it.

That might mean using a bus or wheelchair taxi to get to the supermarket if the supermarket is a long way away and the person can no longer drive. I understand that's hard, but people need to use common sense when it comes to retiring to rural/edge-of-town areas without a support network - most people do lose the ability to drive eventually, so retiring in an area where there are no buses and taxis are likely to be very expensive is a bad idea (unless you are "generationally rural" and have a good support network that is happy to help you out, give you lifts and do shopping for you etc.)

This seems like an ageist post!
what about cyclists, horse riders, kids on skateboards and scooters, electric scooters, e bikes

I use a mobility scooter.

The top speed is 4 mph.

It is insured for £2 million for public liability.

I have had to take two 'tests' one to travel with it on the bus, and a second to use it on the Ring and Ride minibus.

The metro (tram) I didn't need to do a test for because I have a bus permit so they just issued their permit. The permits last 5 years or until I get a new scooter. Then I have to go through the process again.

The trains are another matter, they are even stricter, basically if you have a 3 wheeled small scooter you can take it on the train.

Permits are only issued to the 4mph 'class 2' scooters. To be honest I don't think you could get one of the class 1 scooters on the bus.

I also have a driving licence for a car and for a motorbike. And last time I renewed it they added category Q.

I voted YANBU but actually you are and you aren't.

There should be some training but I don't think it needs to be a full licence. I think something more like CBT (not the therapy) a minimum standard. I know some councils offer training.

But then I think all learner drivers (without a disability) should take a CBT just to give you an awareness of motorbikes.

@Hippywannabe I used blue badge insurance.

https://www.bluebadgemobilityinsurance.co.uk/ I paid a bit extra for a recovery service on the insurance but it was less than £100pa.

You should also look in to an annual service.

Do you think people driving mobility scooters down the footpath/road should be a criminal offence? If not, why are you comparing them to e scooters?

I’ve been driven into twice, both times whilst completely minding my own business walking down the high street. The second time, the person screamed at me ‘get out of the way, fucking bitch’. This was a wide street, by the way, and she could have easily avoided me. She nearly knocked me over!!

Some mobility scooters are meant to be driven on the road. As long as other drivers drive with due care and attention, there isn't a problem.

Massively co-sign this. What a fantastic post.

The big problem with your idea of 2.5mph scooters is that they would grind to a halt on the slightest incline.

So anyone who needs a larger mobility scooter due to weight or because they have a life that requires them to have a scooter capable of longer distances/some mild off road (grassy field to walk the dogs for example)...

Now has to either have two scooters, if they can find one small enough to qualify for inside shops... or is excluded from various bits of life because they can only use one kind?

That is on top of being excluded from anywhere that their scooter doesn't actually fit (trains, buses) which is generally accepted as unavoidable in some cases.

And why is this a better system than the current classification system that divides up scooters by speed/size/weight...?

Why are you assuming disabled people are all retired?

You're also assuming theres a solid reliable taxi service... and that everyone using these scooters is capable of getting round the supermarket without the scooter.

I don't think you understand at all.