One thing that you want to get into a habit of doing when you begin to use a mobility scooter is to make sure that the key is not in the ignition before you become seated on it and that before you leave the seat that you remove the key from the ignition.

The reason for not having the key already in place is because you dont want there to be any chance of the mobility scooter moving before you have got yourself seated properly and the last thing you need is the mobility scooter suddenly moving as you try to get into place on it.

When you are ready to get off of the mobility scooter you then want to make sure that you remove the key fully, to make sure that again your mobility scooter will not be at risk of moving as you get off of it but also that anyone that should not be on it, ie: anyone except for yourself can not ride the mobility scooter.

Only having the key in the ignition when you’re ready to use it, makes for a safer situation for everyone, because it lowers your chances of injury while getting on and off of the mobility scooter but also prevents anyone from getting on it and maybe thinking it will be fun to try it out, maybe a young relative or friend and although the speed is restricted, it is still dangerous if an untrained user is allowed to fool around on your mobility scooter.

It also lowers the chances of your key going missing, imagine if you left the key in place even just for a few minutes, and someone decides to remove it, even if you have a spare key this is still a problem if someone removed it through being mischievous.

So overall, for your own safety, as well as others safety and the security of your mobility scooter it’s best to keep the key removed from the ignition apart from when you’re ready to operate it.

An area where extra care should be taken while using your mobility scooter is during the entering, actually being in and the exiting of elevators.

As other people are using an elevator too, you need to take extra care and because you will be in an enlosed environment, even though only briefly, its important that you make sure that your mobility scooter is not able to suddenly jolt forwards or backwards during that time.

Entering an elevator at a slow enough speed to be safe, while at the same time moving into the space before the doors begin to close is ideal if you can manage it, fortunately elevator doors automatically detect objects in the way and cause no harm to the human body as they touch up against people so should cause no real harm to your mobility scooter if the doors do try to close before you are completely in the elevator.

If you make sure that your mobility scooter cannot move while you are in the elevator while the elevator is in use then you will keep the situation not only safe for yourself but for anyone else sharing the elevator with you at the time.

When it comes to exiting, depending on if there are people in front of you or not, it can sometimes be better to have others exit first, and to move slowly and carefully, keeping in mind that people on the floor that you have arrived at may not be expecting a mobility scooter to exit.

Give yourself a moment when you have fully exited the elevator to familiarize yourself with the floor and layout of where you are if you have not been there before, and then proceed once you know that it is safe to.

As any mobility scooter user will know, it takes a little bit of practice before you become fully comfortable with the operation of yours and build confidence to the point of knowing your mobility scooter well, understanding what it’s capable of, it’s limitations and the safest way to use it.

When you do go out on yours, you know the various obstacles to watch out for, how unpredictable pedestrians, motorists and even pets can be and so you get yourself into a habit of looking out for all of these potential dangers and situations waiting to happen, with the hope of avoiding collisions and other situations, all of this while at the same time making sure that you yourself are operating your mobility scooter responsibly.

It’s amazing isn’t it, how you can see other mobility scooters gliding along, and the public see you on yours too, gliding along, looking like you hardly have anything to worry about, but you know that as a responsible user, you are ever vigilant, enjoying your time outside but always aware of the dangers from the moment that you take to the pavements or roads.

So with all that in mind, it may seem ridiculous that any mobility scooter user would risk being intoxicated while operating theirs but every now and then, someone somewhere in the UK will indeed take that risk.

Now for some people picturing that in their mind, it may seem like a laughable and harmless image, an individual going along the pavement or road on their mobility scooter, while drunk or at least while feeling a bit merry but a mobility scooter, just like any other mode of transport becomes much more dangerous to the rest of the public and to yourself of course, when the operator is under the influence of alcohol.

Whether you choose to drink at home or enjoy a few drinks with friends at your local pub, if you know that you wont be drinking soft drinks then your mobility scooter is best left at home after you have consumed alcohol.

It’s much safer to have a friend or a relative pick you up from your home and do the same again when you leave a pub or a friends house that you may have been drinking at, or even use a taxi service who can accommodate your needs.

While you may think that you are experienced enough both with your mobility scooter use and your ability to handle alcohol, the two really do not go together very well and with the accidents that lead to deaths at times, either of pedestrians or of the mobility scooter user themselves, it’s just not worth taking the risk, not to mention that if you did cause an accident while intoxicated and using your mobility scooter, then theres a chance that you could end up being prosecuted and thats simply not worth taking the risk for.

Never drink and ride, keep yourself and other members of the public safe.