Mobility Scooters - Things to Think About Before You Buy One
Buying a mobility scooter can be one of the most important purchases you ever make.
Life before you use a scooter can mean you are stuck at home due to disability, poor health or age.
With the aid of a scooter, wheelchair users and other people with restricted mobility will find they can travel much further than they used to.
There are different types of scooter and depending on your needs, the type of scooter you buy will vary.
Make sure you purchase your scooter according to your needs not on price or what the scooter looks like.
Outlined here are some of the issues: Your physical and health situation.
You need to be able to sit upright, unassisted for periods of time, and be able to transfer safely in and out of the scooter.
It is always best to ask your Doctor if a scooter is practical for you.
Where are you going to be using your scooter? Mainly indoors - in the home, or in and around supermarkets Smaller, 3 wheel scooters have a tighter turning circle than the larger 4 wheel ones.
They are easier to navigate tight turns around doorways or shopping aisles.
Mainly outdoors - roads To drive your scooter on the road in the UK, you need to register your scooter with the DVLA.
It must have lights, indicators, and a horn.
You must obey the rules that other road users follow, and be very careful - other traffic will be going much faster than you and will be more robust in the case of a accident.
Pavements In the UK, you are restricted to a maximum of 4mph on pavements.
(This is often impractical due to pedestrians and other pavement users.
) Farmland/rough terrain Only some models are able to 'go off road' and cope with rough terrain.
It is usually the 4 wheel heavy duty scooters that are suitable for this kind of use.
How far will you be travelling? Some mobility scooters can travel up to 25 miles on a single battery charge.
However not all can go this far; make sure you check before purchasing a scooter that it fits how far you will want to travel.
Will you be travelling alone or with a companion? If you are going to be travelling alone, make sure you can operate everything to do with your scooter alone.
This includes being able to lift the scooter or being able to take it apart if you need to do this yourself.
If you are travelling with a companion, ask yourself how they will be travelling.
If they will be on foot - you don't want to be going too fast for them to keep up.
A small lightweight scooter may be better, so they can keep close to you.
It is difficult to chat if they have to shout to be heard! If they use a wheelchair or scooter too, are they both small enough to ride abreast along most pavements? If they are going to drive, with your scooter packed up into the car, make sure you check the following section.
Will you need to pack up your scooter into your vehicle? Is it light enough to lift? Does it fold up small enough for your boot or trunk? Does it come apart easily into pieces for transporting in your vehicle? Once you have purchased the right scooter, the chances are it will make a huge difference to your mobility and independence.
Life before you use a scooter can mean you are stuck at home due to disability, poor health or age.
With the aid of a scooter, wheelchair users and other people with restricted mobility will find they can travel much further than they used to.
There are different types of scooter and depending on your needs, the type of scooter you buy will vary.
Make sure you purchase your scooter according to your needs not on price or what the scooter looks like.
Outlined here are some of the issues: Your physical and health situation.
You need to be able to sit upright, unassisted for periods of time, and be able to transfer safely in and out of the scooter.
It is always best to ask your Doctor if a scooter is practical for you.
Where are you going to be using your scooter? Mainly indoors - in the home, or in and around supermarkets Smaller, 3 wheel scooters have a tighter turning circle than the larger 4 wheel ones.
They are easier to navigate tight turns around doorways or shopping aisles.
Mainly outdoors - roads To drive your scooter on the road in the UK, you need to register your scooter with the DVLA.
It must have lights, indicators, and a horn.
You must obey the rules that other road users follow, and be very careful - other traffic will be going much faster than you and will be more robust in the case of a accident.
Pavements In the UK, you are restricted to a maximum of 4mph on pavements.
(This is often impractical due to pedestrians and other pavement users.
) Farmland/rough terrain Only some models are able to 'go off road' and cope with rough terrain.
It is usually the 4 wheel heavy duty scooters that are suitable for this kind of use.
How far will you be travelling? Some mobility scooters can travel up to 25 miles on a single battery charge.
However not all can go this far; make sure you check before purchasing a scooter that it fits how far you will want to travel.
Will you be travelling alone or with a companion? If you are going to be travelling alone, make sure you can operate everything to do with your scooter alone.
This includes being able to lift the scooter or being able to take it apart if you need to do this yourself.
If you are travelling with a companion, ask yourself how they will be travelling.
If they will be on foot - you don't want to be going too fast for them to keep up.
A small lightweight scooter may be better, so they can keep close to you.
It is difficult to chat if they have to shout to be heard! If they use a wheelchair or scooter too, are they both small enough to ride abreast along most pavements? If they are going to drive, with your scooter packed up into the car, make sure you check the following section.
Will you need to pack up your scooter into your vehicle? Is it light enough to lift? Does it fold up small enough for your boot or trunk? Does it come apart easily into pieces for transporting in your vehicle? Once you have purchased the right scooter, the chances are it will make a huge difference to your mobility and independence.
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