The Grey Terror; Mobility Scooter Louts

M

Mutsumi

Guild Member
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With a top speed of 4mph for the mobility scooters designed to travel on pavements, you might think that it was hard for their users to drive dangerously.

No official statistics exist for the number of accidents involving the scooters, but there are tales from around the country of old ladies steering into shop windows, mobility scooters trundling along motorways and even people driving off railway platforms.

There have even been injuries to pedestrians. Last year two-year-old Madison McNair was knocked down by a 70-year-old woman driving a mobility scooter on a pedestrianised street in Doncaster.

Caught in the wheels of the machine, the toddler was dragged down the road as the driver carried on apparently unaware of what had happened. Since mobility scooters are exempt from the Road Traffic Act the police were powerless to act against the driver.

The death of 90-year-old Lilian Macey in September led to no action by police against the scooter driver allegedly responsible.

The level of concern is such that in February a committee of MPs will begin an inquiry looking at safety implications. One of the issues they will examine is whether scooter drivers should get some kind of formal training before going out on to the streets.

The idea is already being put into practice by Norfolk Police and a handful of other forces. In Norfolk, impetus was generated by the volume of complaints about accidents being caused by the electric vehicles on Great Yarmouth's streets and pavements.

A combination of affordability and an aging population has led to a significant increase in the number of mobility scooters being driven around the town.

"In the market place if you speak to the traders they will always tell you a tale of their vegetables being knocked over or people being run into by mobility scooter users," says Penny Carpenter, of Norfolk Police.
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Have you ever seen someone riding one of those mobility scooters on the road like they are the only ones allowed on the road? Should they be allowed on the road or are they just pedestrians with wheels? Is it unfair to take away their easy mobility if it is a danger to themselves & others?
 
AFAIK, most mobility scooters are not 'designed to travel on pavements' - like bikes the higher powered ones (most of them, certainly the ones with four wheels) are meant to be used on the road when possible. However, no-one ever seems to want to tell disabled people (or cyclists) that they're in the wrong.

Personally, I think any vehicle should be on the road at all times. Pavements should be for pedestrians, and those disabled people who are able (or willing) to propel themselves under their own power in wheelchairs.
 
I saw a particularly nasty Mobility Scooter accident once. Fortunately it was right next to a health centre.

To learn that these vehicles have no manual brakes surprised me somewhat. That's one improvement begging to be made, I'd assume.
 
I think they belong on the pavement, just like I believe casual cyclists should. Roads are for vehicles that can go over 20mph in my opinion, & mobility scooters are nothing but a hazard. When you've seen one cross busy traffic to the central lane of a roundabout you'll understand.
 
On the pavement, bikes and mobility scooters are a hazard to pedestrians. On the road, cars are a hazard to bikes and mobility scooters.

I can drive a car and I like to walk. I don't want anyone to inconvenience me while I'm doing either, so anything that gets cyclists and scooter riders out of my way (be it on a temporary or a... permanent basis) is a plus in my book.

...

Okay, so that is a bit harsh. But we all have a little Blackadder in us, don't we?
 
I definitely think bikes should go on the pavement. Works in other countries, and the problems of a cyclist moving between pedestrians pales in comparison to cars moving around bicycles, and certainly in comparison to what happens if a car hits a cyclist.
 
Ive seen a terrible accident with these before too...would it not be possible to have designated lanes for these (similar to cycle lanes??)
 
Granny wagons are a terror, that's for sure. The only reason it hasn't really been talked about in the past is because people don't want to talk bad of people needing them in case they're called discriminatory.

There needs to be some sort of enforcable regulations over top speed and safety for them.


What it does remind me of is many years ago whilst working at my local Kwik Save. An old woman was riding her Granny Wagon around the store and she managed to lose control around one corner and crash into some shelves. :)
 
I think they should be given a driving test for them. if you pass you get one but to drive it on a road it needs insurance and if they wish to use it on the paths they should have a hazard awareness test.

If they fail they have to wriggle like a worm to where they want to go.
 
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