Nearly run down by a mobility scooter

I'm young disabled & depend on my mobility scooter.
Your comments are valid, but please note these facts:
* mobility scooters are legal on th pavement at 4mph
* mobility scooters are legal on th road at 8mph
* most people react to an oncoming scooter or wheelchair by jumping in front of it. Really.
Very much like cats and rabbits do to cars. Irrespective of speed or logic.
* people tend to walk in zig-zags, anyway, so are difficult to overtake.
NB. I'm careful, polite and travel with a cute dog.
I often stop & chat with people who return my smile.
I also get glared at by others who jumped in front of me to avoid me.
(why? go ask a cat or a rabbit)
I also get beeped at a lot for just being on th road. Do they think I chose to have MS & lose my car? 8mph feels too slow for me as well for th road (& th scooter will slow itself down down hill) .
Hope this helps.

soozy, have you considered how elderly people who have never driven an ordinary car would suddenly be able to drive a modified car after, say, having a stroke?

The average walking speed of an adult is 3mph; those using mobility scooters on the pavement are not allowed to do more than 4mph; if there is alot of foot traffic then to be sensible they would keep to the same speed. These things do have a speed control, you know!

As you can see from the regulations I posted below, the scooters capable of doing 4 - 8mph are only allowed to do so on the roads; quite fast enough for someone not capable of driving a car. Obviously they have to be choosy about the roads they use and keep out of the way of normal traffic.

did the people who use mobility scooters walk at speeds of 4 to 8 mph when their legs were ok?.. I doubt it. So why do they have to drive at that speed now. They are only used to help them get around now they can no longer walk so why not manufacture them to go at a normal walking speed. Cars can be modified for disabled people if they need to get around faster.

That c**t Hicks calls me a saddo. At least I don"t post lenghty dialougue from the department of transport like grumpyoldwoman. That is what I call petty-minded !

Extracts from the Department for Transport's website;

"Class 3
Mechanically propelled invalid carriages that are constructed or adapted to be capable of exceeding a speed of 4mph but incapable of exceeding a speed of 8mph on the level under its own power (generally powered wheelchairs and other outdoor vehicles including scooters intended for use on roads/highways). They must be fitted with a device capable of limiting the maximum speed to 4mph for use when travelling on footways. The unladen weight must not exceed 150kgs. These are required to be registered with DVLA."

"Class 3 invalid carriages need to be registered for road use, be licensed in the "disabled" taxation class and display a nil duty tax disc. Unlike ordinary cars, invalid carriages do not need to provide evidence of VED exemption when licensing in the disabled class. Also, they are exempt from paying the first registration fee and are not required to display registration plates."

"In order to register and license a class 3 invalid carriage the user will need to complete form V55/5 (for used vehicles) or V55/4 (for new vehicles) - and take or send it to their nearest DVLA local office"

"Should I have insurance?
Although it is not a legal requirement, it is strongly advised to have insurance. Suitable schemes are not too expensive and are available to cover your personal safety, other people’s safety and the value of the vehicle."

Back to a very early comment on this but if they go on the road, they would require insurance, a licence, road tax and an MOT (of sort) They are not allowed on the road and YES people can and have been ran down by them.

I got knocked down not to long ago and ended up breaking my ankle is 2 places.....

My mother is disabled and refuses to use one. instead she has a standard wheel chair and is very thoughtful to other path way users

I have to use a mobility scooter. I live in a road of terraced houses. My gripe is that people, one house in particular, will not leave my entrance free so that I can get my scooter out to use it. Is there any one I can contact, or anything I can do to make sure vehicles will leave the entrance free, it is only a yard in width. There is a notice on the entrance gate to say it is used for a mobility scooter, so anyone parking knows. The Police suggest that I go and ask whoever is blocking my was if they would move the car. Can you imagine what answer I might get!!! I feel that is humiliating as surely I have a right to use my scooter without asking anyone else.

Just nick the shopping from the front basket and run up some stairs...

Remember stairs stopped the most evil Dalek race from conquering the universe... untill they learned to fly...that is so this advice is good untill the bring out flying spaz scooters...

As a disabled person it really does not help when one person acts like a road hog on their scooter and gives the rest of us with mobility problems a hard time by most people lumping us in the same barrrel as them.

As it happens I walk with sticks and I was also nearly mown down by an inconsiderate mobility impared person, it is hard enough to get out and when you do you want to feel safe after that experience it took me two months to have the courage to go outside again. It would be nice if their was more courtesy and understanding in this world from those (the scooter drivers) that should know better!!!

Lottie, just to clarify the legal situation, the ones that can only do 4 mph are not legally allowed on the roads. Only the 8 mph ones are. Of course they might still only do 4 mph, and it's still horrible to be stuck behind one even if it's speeding along at 8!

I like most poeple am in favour of older people, disabled people etc being able to get out.

However...............have you ever been stuck behind one on a busy Friday evening on the way home from work, nowhere to overtake, all the cars backing up because everyone has to pootle along behind one at 4mph, a jouney that should take 10 minutes all of a sudden takes 30 mins.

Its at this point that (I know what I'm about to say is not nice) you just want knock them off the road and break the God Damn machine so it can't hold anyone up ever again!!!

I think it is hilarious that anyone would genuinely be frightened of a mobility scooter! hahahaha you people are so odd