Mobility scooters

Im sure the mobility scooters could be manufactured with a preset, maximum speed.

A friend of mine who has RA is a long term mobility scooter user. She is also a very competent car driver. When she is on home territory she uses her big scooter and takes a small scooter in the car boot when she goes further afield. She had campaigned for dropped kerbs in our small town and runs training courses for new and established scooter users.
Courses are definitely needed. Some users really have no idea of how to drive safely. I've been knocked over by a scooter. The lady user shouted at me, saying it was my own fault, I should have looked where I was going. I did nothing wrong, she was in the wrong position on the pavement.

I could really do with one, I think, but I would be too nervous of not being able to drive it.

So in answer to OP question, no I wouldn't have wanted my mother to drive a scooter. I don't think she would have been confident. But I am much older now than my mother was and yes, I would want to drive a scooter, should the need arise. But, even though I have been a car driver for well over 50 years, I would want to be trained before being let loose on the pavements'.

Monica:
"It also depends on the kind of roads that need to be crossed, whether there are pedestrian crossings or traffic lights and the amount of traffic"

Indeed. I was confident with my mob scooter until the motor wore out just before covid. Pedestrian crossings are not easy as you have to turn the mob at right angles to the road and wait with the brake on until the green cross now. there nay be other people waiting too, so you have to allow for their safety.

My mum and daughter saw someone in a supermarket veer off to one side at the checkout, and smash into a birthday card display.
She was shouting "hang on, I'll be back. Save my space!" as she went.
Her husband was shouting at her, and she headed back to the checkout and smashed into the shins of the woman who had saved her space.
Apologised, backed up, then smashed the woman again!!!

I could be completely wrong here, but I thought that the ones with speed capped to 4mph were allowed on the pavement and the ones capped at 8mph were meant to be on the road?

If that's not the case it shouldn't be! I also think that insurance needs to be permanently required from purchase onward. I also think that any purchaser should be required to pass a short test. And before anyone says I'm anti I would love a small scooter but can't afford one!

Interesting. These are the rules:

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

I have just started to use a mobility scooter when visiting NT places or other outdoor attractions where they can be hired ( often free)

The first time was at Tatton Park and I was surprised at how easy it was, just pull on a little lever attached to the handlebar and off I went! I could adjust the speed but kept it to the walking pace of my sister who was with me. As soon as I took the hand off the lever, the scooter stopped so rarely needed to use the brakes. I had no problem going backwards although a mirror might have been helpful to see more easily.

The only problem I had was when I foolishly decided to go in the maze, at first the path seemed fine, fairly wide and even. It was not a problem to get round the bends, perhaps as I still drive every day, I have a better judge of space than non drivers. But as we got further into the maze, the path narrowed, tree roots jutted out and the turns got tighter! It’s a hard maze apparently and lots of people were wandering around getting lost and laughing as they met other groups trying to get out! At one point there was not enough room to get the scooter round a tight turn so I had to get off while my sister and I lifted it. I thought we were going to have to phone for help but luckily a lovely young couple helped us by coming back in to find us once they had managed to get out! The moral in - do not take a large scooter into a maze!

As far as using a scooter on pavements, I have considered it as I cannot walk very far and am unable to go shopping really. But it’s a pride thing for me, I’d feel embarrassed for friends to see me on one regularly, I’d rather internet shop or just pop in the garage shop for one thing. I’m hoping to lose enough weight to have knee replacement surgery next year, something I’ve been putting off for about five years so hopefully I won’t need a mobility scooter for much longer.

Daftbag, the 8mph scooters must be set for max 4mph for pavement use. The controls let the user do this simple adjustment.

I have a small fold up mobility scooter only usable on a footpath and I have to cross the roads but a lot quicker than if I was walking across them.

But 4mph is still way too fast when there are pedestrians and other obstacles to be safely negotiated. Some mobility scooter drivers, though hopefully a minority, seem oblivious to that!

My last post wasn't aimed at you, Uninvitedme. You definitely need to use the available speed to safely cross some roads.

My dad still walks within a couple of miles of his home (paper shop, pub and local funerals) and still drives a car for bigger shops- don’t stop walking daily is the key to not having to use a mobility scooter.

I’m afraid anybody can buy one of those scooters not through Motability though, but they’re there to buy, The ones on the road have to pay road tax, I’m not sure whether bikes pay tax but there again they’re doing the same thing using the road so they probably will be. Mines very small and I’m only allowed on footpaths and I’m very careful of other people too. I have been in extreme pain for the last 40 years and very glad of mine, I can get off it and go in small shop with the help of a walking stick but that’s extremely painful I get my shopping on the Internet. I think they should only be allowed for disabled people and yes I have seen them flying about there’s one lives near me.

No if you have a small scooter to go on the footpath it does 4 miles an hour and you can’t change it to 8. The 8 mile an hour ones are large ones and wouldn’t be allowed on the footpath, nor can they change them to 4 miles an hour.

Oh dear, n that case 4mph is too fast. Scooters on footpaths really shouldn’t be able to go faster than a pedestrian. I guessed a 4mph as an average walking speed but obviously it’s not. Scooters overtake on footpaths all the time.

Only today I was beeped aggressively by a man who wanted me to step into the road so that he could go past. And I’m quite a brisk walker.

And I’m afraid the larger ones do go on the pavements around here, whether they’re supposed to or not.

What made we think of this?

youtu.be/w1nb_T1JKps

The larger ones are driven on the narrow pavements in my nearby town as well - pedestrians simply have to step into the road. Some scooter drivers are an absolute menace.

MissAdventure

Unless someone lacks capacity, then it's up to them.

People who lack capacity don't always realise it.
They need to be tested. I agree people are trapped in their houses but scooters can also be a menace. I know of two very dangerous incidents that were practised daily until the person was reported.
One a grandmother taking her grandchild to school sitting on her knee on the mobility scooter, up a steep extremely busy hill on the pavement among all the parents and children.
The other a chap who used the white line on the middle of the road as his guide and went to the pub each evening he certainly zigzag going home again on a busy road with frequent Double-decker buses.

My Mum used one and found herself stranded when a van was straddling the pavement. She tried to pass it on the road and as she went down the bump on the kerb, the safety feature to stop the scooter came on. She couldn't get it started again. Fortunately, I was worried about her being out of the scooter so drove round to find her and was able to get her started again. She never went out on it again.
Another elderly person I know with cognitive problems drove off the platform at the railway station as a train was coming in. He was taken to hospital but died a week later.
I think motability scooters are wonderful in the right hands but are really dangerous in the wrong ones. How you get around that is a mystery to me.

The mother of a friend of ours managed to drive off the edge of a cliff whilst walking the dog. She didn’t survive.

Icanhandthemback, I have used a 8mph mob scoot a lot and I can tell you for a fact that everyone including brainy people needs actual training in how and when to use the brakes, not just the trigger. I was not trained and I had to learn from experience. Not good.

Caleo, 8 miles an hour is quite fast if you hit somebody, especially a child. Yes, I agree, proper training should be given.

Germanshepherdsmum, that is awful and a very good reason for these things to be properly regulated.

For the record, I never hit anybody.

Any speed is dangerous when the thing that hits you is a big hard metal thing. Mob scoots and users should be regulated.