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Old people riding their mobility scooters on the road
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Its a tricky one isn't it... on the one hand there is the moral social case for mobility but on the other hand there is personal responsibility and safety. Maybe there are situations when these scooters can be ridden perfectly safely on the roads, but in the specific case of the incident I mentioned it was nothing short of stupidity. There was even a traffic light junction that she could have used to make the turn perfectly safely. Whether it was an error of judgement by her or lack of attention of the car driver is somewhat irrelvant now and academic... the damage has been done.
If you read the web link I provided about what consitutes a Class 3 scooter it is actually very specific and even down to having a tax disc (free). Next time I see one of these scooters on a road I'll pay more attention to whether it has indicators, a flashing beacon, rear view mirrors and brakelights etc...
ps.. internaut.. that one doesn't have a rear view mirror!
I can't imagine the day that I would contemplate using such a scooter on any road, especially in Cheltenham, and let alone on a dual carriageway. It's nuts. Such scooters (of whatever class) are not uncommon around here, though, but they're usually clogging up M&S.
There's a young lad with a powered wheelchair who I see bombing around most days, but I think he's in to racing games. He often (effectively) handbrake-turns his. He had a right blast in the snow earlier this year. It's hilarious to watch.
One worrying aspect is that there is no medical criteria for their use. If you can afford one then you can have one. This encourages those who can walk, but prefer not to and who would never dream of using a conventional wheel chair to get one. There is are a worrying number of obese people who use them although they initially have no real need. This sets up a vicious circle of lack of exercise leading to even further loss of mobility so eventually the scooter does become a necessity.
Yes you often see couples whizzing thru shopping areas in them.
Maybe they whizz around together because they both have the scooters ? But I cant help thinking that maybe one of them needs the scooter and the other thought - "man that looks like fun - I'm getting me one !"
This ones a bit of a mine field I can see all sides on this and thinking to an extent all sides are right just depends on the circumstances for each instance? One thing that does stick out to me through is there is no law stopping someone from driving down a road like that as far as I know and I think I'm right in saying there is no law stopping someone walking down a road like that. It's would clearly be dangerous to do so and hopefully if the police ever saw it they would move someone on but it's things like this that make the police tell driver's to drive safe surely?
If you go down a road and something is blocking it you need to have enough time to slam on the brakes regardless of whose at fault?
I HATE mobility scooters.
Absolutely hate them. They're driven round here by people disabled by their obesity and are used as ramrods in built up areas to intimidate people out of the way.
The quicker you have to pass a test to get one the better. F*cking menace.
It is a difficult subject as not all problems are visible. My Dad was a Blue Badge holder because of cardiac and respiratory problems, but because he had a Rolls Royce people assumed that he was some rich bastard taking up a disabled parking space.
Another problem is that the (unenforceable) advice seems to be that when driving on the pavement the maximum speed should be 4m.p.h - presumably based on the same mistaken premise expressed by a previous poster that that is the 'average walking speed' - no it bloody isn't especially on a crowded city street!
My dad was refused a blue badge. He has end stage COPD and now can't walk upstairs to bed, never mind as far as the car to actually drive it. Its a moot point now but I'm still furious at this bullshit way they hand badges out.
My Goddaughters mother has a blue badge for asthma. I have asthma. I don't get a blue badge. But then I'm not 23 stone either. Nor do I smoke because it curbs my weight.
How DARE anyone make judgements about your dad based on his car? Are people with Rolls Royces banned from having a disability?
In some peoples' minds - yes. Further irony that was his condition was caused by TB he caught in WW2.
KK sorry about your Dad - 'im indoors has the same, but not so advanced. The way things like Blue Badges and other disability related benefits are handed out seems to be entirely random at times.
Surely the onus is on the car driver to see what is in front of him or her, whether it is moving slowly or quickly, and to be able to stop in the distance seen to be clear.
They can't have it both ways, if it moves at 4 mph then it's hardly a bat out of hell is it?
My Mum is disabled. She relies on her mobility scooter for any semblance of independence. I agree that people need to be safe to use them, but imposing a test to allow people to use mobility aids seems rather excessive. What about everyone else who uses public highways? Pedestrians, cyclists, kids on skateboards and scooters? Should they have to take tests?
Yes, it does seem excessive but they are a road user none the less, they have as much responsibilty as a car/tuc tuc/van/truck/milk float/motorcyclist/moped. Maybe it would be a good idea if done correctly. Then again I think the driving test is too simple in its current format. It is not so different to someone needing to take a test so they can drive to work?
With a typical speed of 4mph, I don't think they have much more responsibility than a person walking. And most people I know who use them don't make a point of using the roads. I've had collisions/near misses (as a pedestrian) with cyclists, other walkers, kids on skateboards - do they not need to be tested and licenced to use roads and pavements? It just seems ridiculous to me.
These scooters are only ever going to come off worse if a car is involved so I don't think they really need to be licensed. We can't even get all motorists to pass tests and get insurance so maybe focus on them first eh ?
People tend to fall two ways in this discussion. The my mum needs her scooter mob v These scooters really piss me off brigade. It isn't really about safety at all is it?
There is a man who uses a scooter near where I work - central London - on the pavements at WAY more than 4mph, despite all the padestrians, people in bus queues, etc. He will hit someone one day.
BBH - I manage 4mph on crowded city streets!
Sarah - Not the pavements, but if using the road then it may not be a bad idea in principle. As Cougie has pointed out, it is not really workable and in a time when there are still a huge number of road users in cars that are not licenced and not insured it would certainly not be a priority.
SR - To be completely honest I don't have a feeling either way on the actual mobility devices, I don't like people using them purely for being obese but I think that allowing people more freedom to be mobile when they genuinely need them is good. (I actually think it is great to see little old ladies tearing down the streets on them. It reminds me of the irn-bru advert!). What I wouldn't like is being involved in an accident with one on the road, possibly fatal, and then automatically being deemed to be at fault.
Wilkie - I was talking about the perceived 'average' which means that either the majority would be walking at 4mph or the speed would be a something like a range of 2-6 mph. What an individual can manage is a bit different.
Sorry to hear about your dad LB. My mum is at a similar stage but does have a blue badge.
Can't really see that mobility scooters are a big problem - certainly not worth legislating further - if that's the worst people have to worry about lucky them.
Sorry about your mum Cinders! My dad is too angry to try again now anyway and as I say, he can't actually WALK the distance from the front door to the car, parked in a lot round the back of their house. Total distance? Less than 100 yards. He's a prisoner in his own home effectively.
My grandmother uses a scooter. She knocks everything over, runs people's feet down and drives straight into the path of oncoming traffic on red man, genuinely believing the traffic has a duty to stop for her when and wherever she sees fit. I REALLY HATE these scooters.
On the way to a funeral earlier this year I got a ride int he hearse. Coming up to a set of traffic lights we all looked to the right to a little old lady sitting on her scooter, no problems there you may think but we could see a leg sticking out from underneath. She had literally ran this bloke over. The comical thing was that she just sat there on the scooter on top of him. Being near a super market somebody did come round to helping them. I would have helped but being in a hearse with a customer in the back
They are a good idea though. My mum has Myeloma in the bottom of her back and eventually it will finish her off in the near future and she used a scooter to go round ASDA on because shes worried somebody will hit her back with a trolley. But what I see very often, which is mildly judgmental, huge people riding around on them when walking perhaps would be the better option. i know you cannot tell whats wrong with them but sometimes exercising by doing a little walking wont hurt
Bexhill or Coasta del Gerriatrica as I have been informed. Plenty of old folk zooming around on their mobility scooters, it's becomming quite a hazard trying to dodge them on the pavements, regardless of the width. Cafes put the chairs and tables out blocking half the pavement, other shops put the merchandise out.
So why on earth do the taxi drivers see fit to drive up onto the pavement and park? They are busy enough as it is. Yesterday a taxi driver drove up and parked on the pavement totally blocking it and an old guy on his scooter was forced into the road. ok, so it's sleepy ville with traffic moving slowly but most of the drivers are over 80 I'm sure. I just don't get the selfishness of some people. So when the old bloke asked the taxi driver to move the taxi driver saw fit to give the bloke a mouthful. I really don't understand this mentality.