We have all heard a lot over the last few years about not using a mobile phone while driving if it’s not a hands free situation but even when using a mobility scooter it would be wise to avoid using your mobile phone while in motion.

Full concentration of what is going on around you is essential and it is too easily affected if you try and operate anything that is moving while having a conversation on a phone.

When trying to do both of these things at the same time, one is going to be neglected for the other and unfortunately it’s usually the conversation on the mobile phone that gets the most attention, putting everything else second and that includes the mobility scooter users safety and the rest of the public.

If your mobile phone does need to be answered then wait until you can stop safely and in a suitable place and then proceed to answer it and take the call where you are, staying in a stationary position until the call has ended before carrying on with your journey.

It’s useful to keep your mobile phone with you while out on your mobility scooter, especially handy if you need to call a relative or friend if you encounter any problems with your mobility scooter when you’re out, and of course theres the convenience of people being able to contact you while you’re out and about, just so long as all calls made and received to your mobile are when you are not actually operating the mobility scooter.

Although at times you may be expecting an important call, there is rarely any phone call that is so important that it must be taken so suddenly that you risk your own and other peoples safety.

Apart from overall safety issues, theres also a chance that electromagnetic fields from using the phone could interfere with the electronics of the mobility scooter, something that you definately dont want to risk and all the more reason to have stopped your scooter completely before taking the call, to be especially safe you could turn off your mobility scooter too until you have finished using your phone.

Be a responsible and safety concious mobility scooter user and only use your mobile phone when you have completely stopped.

As caution should always be taken by everyone while crossing roads, whether young or old, disabled or not, it’s essential to observe the dangers around you and to always find a suitable place to cross a road when possible and never to take chances.

It’s always better to wait longer to get across the road and get to the other side safely than to take a risk, trying to rush and putting yourself in unnecessary danger.

When using a mobility scooter that is suitable for pavement use only (apart from when crossing a road on it) it could be easy to get into the way of thinking that you have the right of way once reaching a zebra crossing and that stopping is maybe not necessary as with a walking pedestrian, but it would be wrong and very dangerous to think this way.

When you do approach a zebra crossing, you must stop completely, dont just slow down with a view to trying to time the distance between traffic and trying to get across sooner, it’s way too risky to chance it like that.

Because you’re using a mobility scooter, it wont mean that traffic will automatically stop for you, just like some drivers wont slow down enough when approaching a zebra crossing and find themselves with the option of either braking too suddenly and too hard, which of course could lead to an accident or they end up carrying on straight through the crossing even though they should have and could have stopped if they were observing the situation properly.

Most of us at sometime in our lives have seen kids not stand and wait at crossings and just walk straight out, it’s like they know what the zebra crossing is for but for some reason feel invincible, it gives them a false sense of power and that they can control the traffic.

Of course theres no guarantee of any vehicle stopping in time if a child or adult, disabled or not, decides to walk or roll out onto the road before it’s really safe to do so.

I have seen adults do the same at a zebra crossing, of course they should know better, yet every now and then one of them feels like superman or superwoman and point blank refuses to stand and wait and across they go, ignorant to the danger that they have just put themselves and motorists in.

As a mobility scooter is capable of having an odd moment, just like anything else, rolling forwards or backwards unexpectedly, a sudden loss of power or something else that suddenly affects the operation of it, it could put you in a frightening position if while you are taking a chance at a crossing your mobility scooter suddenly cuts out while part of the way across the road.

If traffic has already stopped for you and you are going across the road without panick and not rushing, then if your mobility scooter does malfunction and you suddenly have a loss of power, at least the traffic is already stationary for you, they cant do much else other than wait or if necessary, a kind motorist might get out of their vehicle to help you and to see what the problem is.

Any time that you approach a zebra crossing and basically any other area of a road to cross, treat it as you would as a walking pedestrian, dont expect all drivers to be alert and only when you can see that the traffic has stopped completely on both sides should you then proceed forward, confident that all nearby traffic at the crossing is aware of you and possibly other members of the public crossing.

As any mobility aid user will know, even though the various aids that you use assist you and make daily movements more manageable, they can also be dangerous and cause problems if used incorrectly or in conditions that increase the risk of accidents and injury.

In the UK, even though our weather seems a bit different to how it was ten or twenty years ago, we still experience the four seasons (even if at odd times) but they are still there and bring with them the added challenges even for people without mobility needs.

It’s important to adapt to the weather conditions of the seasons and as we have entered autumn and will gradually move into winter you should keep in mind that everything from wet soggy leaves to frost and ice can make using your mobility aids, not only more challenging but also increase the risk of injury and so extra care needs to be taken.

If you are using a walking stick during harsh icy winter days then an anti-slip ice grip attachment is worth considering to give you a better grip in conditions that can make anyone feel unsteady.

Maybe you will be using a self propelled wheelchair, then a suitable pair of wheelchair gloves that suit your preference but also the weather conditions and outdoor temperature are a good idea to make sure that you still have control and are able to grip while at the same time protecting your hands and keeping them warm.

For powered wheelchair and mobility scooter users, it can be a good idea during the colder months to keep speed down, being aware that sometimes frost and ice on the ground isn’t always clearly visible and there is the potential for your wheelchair or mobility scooter to carry on forward even after the brakes have been applied and of course the danger that this could put you in is not something that you want to picture in your mind but you know the possibilities and if this can be avoided then every action should be taken to avoid this.

Speed doesn’t always have to be a factor for a vehicle of any type to slide on ice though.

When i was younger, i once saw a car travelling along the road early one morning on the street where i live and the driver was wisely keeping his/her speed down, the driving was infact very sensible from what i saw, it couldn’t have been travelling at more than 10 mph.

As the car just got to about 20 ft past me, it suddenly began to turn, no longer under control by the driver, it was infact an almost elegant sight, especially as i was so close and able to watch it happen, it basically started to slide around and did a full circle, facing the very same direction that it was going in the first place.

On this occasion it seemed harmless, the cause was ice on the road, there was only myself nearby, the car turned like it was performing for a crowd, the tires did bounce off of the kerb slightly but all was well, i saw the driver stop for a few seconds to absorb what had happend and then carry on again, very cautiously.

My reason for mentioning the above is because speed was not the cause, nor was it the style of driving, but the weather, icy conditions and the inability to have foreseen what would happen meant that the driver was suddenly in a position with a feeling of no control and having to just go with it as it happened.

If you acknowledge the weather conditions and adapt to them accordingly then you can lower the chances of an accident while using your mobility aid.

At times when weather conditions are more severe, you might choose not to venture outside, which of course is wise when you dont need to and is the general understanding by most people, but for those days when the weather is cold but manageable then theres no reason why you cant get out there if you stay aware of the conditions around you and adapt to them while using your mobility aids.