A new online training resource has been developed to highlight the hazards which mobility scooter users encounter while on the roads.
‘See & Scoot’ has been developed by the Transport Research in Psychology group at Nottingham Trent University as part of a two-year research project funded the Road Safety Trust.
The 20-minute video highlights the main hazards faced by mobility scooter riders, and provides help and advice on how to negotiate them.
The video is filmed from the users’ perspective – giving potential new riders a realistic impression of what it feels like to be a scooter user.
The resource was created on the back of feedback from mobility scooter riders gathered through a large-scale survey and face-to-face interviews – as well as recording journeys around a designated route in Nottingham City Centre.
It is estimated that there are around 350k mobility scooter riders in the UK, and there is no mandatory training for new users.
The project team is currently assessing the impact of the video and is keen to receive feedback.
For more details of the project, or to submit feedback, contact Duncan Guest, project lead, via email.
Here is the current situation set out on the relevant Government website:-
Who can use mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs?
You can only drive a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair if one of the following applies:
you have trouble walking because of an injury, physical disability or medical condition
you’re taking the vehicle to or from maintenance or repair
you’re the manufacturer testing the vehicle
you’re demonstrating the vehicle before it’s sold
you’re training a disabled user
If none of these applies to you and you have an accident, you may be given the same penalty as if you were driving a car. You can go to prison, get a driving ban or get an unlimited fine.
The absence of dropped kerbs in our village has been reported to the relevant Highways Authority. The failure of the Highways Authority to take effective statutory action against the owners or property with vegetation overhanging the pavement has been referred to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman. The LG&SCO refuses to investigate stating that myself and partner have not suffered significant personal injustice as a direct result of the actions or inactions of the service provider.
This gives the Highway Authority freedom to ignore their statutory obligations or maladminstration issues that will enable danger or nuisance to mobility scooter users throughout the Country
Vic Sullivan, Pulborough
0
Last time I looked, mobility scooters were defined in “The Use of Invalid Carriages on Highways Regulations 1988”.
However, I’ve never had an answer to the question of who is an invalid? i.e. what official criteria defines the incapacity that qualifies them to use an invalid carriage.
Seems to me that mobility scooters are rapidly becoming a “lifestyle choice” for some. So, perhaps it is time to change the regs?
In the meantime, if someone is considering buying a mobility scooter, they would be wise to check that there are enough dropped kerbs in their neighbourhood so that they can get around.
Pat, Wales
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