I love driving my scooter. It gives me the freedom and independence I really though I had lost. It brought it home to me about safety while driving my scooter when a friend of mine had a very near miss on hers.

She was wearing a scarf that got caught on one of her scooter wheels. Luckily the scarf just came off. It made me think. There is a highway code for mobility scooters and it has some really good advice in it. Have a look below:

What sort of mobility scooter do you drive?

Class 2 – 4mph

• You can’t drive these on the road (you can cross a road but not drive along it).
• You drive these on pavements and footpaths, and they only go up to 4mph.

Class 3 – 8mph

• These have a switch to change the maximum speed they can go.
• When you switch to 4mph you can drive on pavements like a class 2 scooter.
• When you switch them to 8mph you can  drive them on the road.

Before you drive anywhere

• Make sure you have the most appropriate scooter for you.
• Make sure you understand what all the controls do.
• Make sure the battery is full charged
• Make sure you are insured. This is not essential in the UK, according to the law, but it is sensible. You are responsible if you cause an accident, so it is prudent to have insurance.
• Plan your journey in advance – make sure you have enough battery power, the right clothes on, and the route is suitable for you scooter.

Clothing

• The best rule is – See and be seen!
• Make sure nothing you are wearing restricts you view. This is especially important in bad or wet weather and you are wearing a hat, scarf, or hood.
• Make sure other road and pavement users can see you. Does your scooter have any fluorescent markings that will show up and reflect? If you are on the road – put your lights on!
• Never wear loose fitting clothes. If you have a belt or scarf on make sure they are secure and tucked away.

Other things to note

• Don’t let anyone else on the scooter with you. This includes a child sitting on your lap.
• Don’t lead a pet from your scooter. You see this very often, someone taking their dog for a walk on their scooter. However this can be very dangerous. Even a well behaved dog can run off, cause crashes or get scared. If you are on your scooter you are not in a position to immediately take control of the situation.
• Mobility cooters have baskets on the front and you can add storage like bags on the back, or pannier bags. Use them and don’t have bags hanging from you or your scooter. If you do this it will make the scooter unstable and more difficult to control.