Hi I have a Pro Rider Road King.

The problem I am having is after about 10 minutes my scooter stops and will not move forward or back after about 5 to 10 mins it goes again. I think it’s the Controller but not 100% sure any ideas any one.  And where would I get a controller at a reasonable price.?

Thanx Bill Reid

When referring to the overall safety of them as a walking aid then yes they are most definately safe if a zimmer frame is found to be most suitable for the user and the particular disability.

How a zimmer frame is used can alter the safety of using one and like many other things, if a frame is used incorrectly then the safety level will be lowered somewhat.

Where they are used can make a difference to safety, for example you wouldn’t want to attempt a full flight of stairs with a zimmer frame but they can be used on shallow steps, the sort that you might find in gardens, leading into and out of homes and some other buildings, as long as there is enough of an area to place the feet of the zimmer frame.

Lastly, something that could affect the safety of using a zimmer frame is trying to hang something off of the frame, especially if its an addition that has not specifically been designed to be used with them.

There are accessories that can be used like zimmer frame net and apron bags and they are safe to add to your frame as long as they are specifically designed for this purpose and not some other type of bag.

Its importance to remember that the frame is there to help you, first and foremost, and not as a tool to move objects around.

You really dont want unnecessary weight added to the frame if it means that getting around becomes less manageable and more of a challenge.

Zimmer frames are safe, if used correctly.

You also need to take into account whether this will be the very first charge of your mobility scooter battery or whether it will be a charge after having already used your mobility scooter.

Even if you have a friend that uses mobility scooters, dont go by what they might recommend you should do because theres a great chance that they own a completely different model to the one that you do.

You want to get the most life from your mobility scooter batteries that you can, both in terms of the distance that you can travel and the overall lifetime of the batteries before needing to replace them.

You can find information on how to charge a mobility scooter battery by following the link, and combining this with the intructions and recommendation in your documentation will help you to understand how long the batteries need to be charged for.

But whether you are a user of a mobility scooter or you’re walking, its when a mobility scooter comes from behind you that you might be completely unaware that one is about to come past you until it already is doing so.

While people might look at who is walking towards them, its not so common for people to look behind them before they change direction to cross over the pavement area of a local shopping parade for example, or might just start moving more to the left or the right in order to avoid walking into other people.

Many people make sudden movements and this can mean that at any given moment when theres plenty of people around, what might seem like a clear route along a certain area of the pavement might suddenly become something quite different and can lead to accidents involving other members of the public.

Quite often people simply wont hear a mobility scooter coming up behind them, if there is some general noise like people talking etc then this will lower the chances even more of a mobility scooter being heard.

Sometimes you can see people who are literally startled by  a mobility scooter that is whizzing right past them or they go to turn to walk in another direction and find themselves inches away from an unexpected mobility scooter passing.

While its great that they produce very little noise, this can pose a hazard when someone is completely unaware that one is coming up behind them.

Some users do use the horn on their mobility scooter but some dont and if a user doesn’t make use of the horn when they should then this greatly increases the risk not only to other people but to themselves also.

Much like a horn on a car should not be used in anger or to warn people to get out of the way, a horn should be used to create awareness, to warn people of the danger approaching should they not notice you on your mobility scooter and decide to make a sudden movement.

Because of a lack of noise from most mobility scooters, riders need to be aware of when to reduce their speed if they expect that other members of the public may make sudden movements and changes in direction.

Avoid getting into the mindset of  “oh they will see me coming” because even if you have an item of high visibility clothing on, it obviously wont make any difference when people are not facing you.

People have got used to not having to worry about cars and other vehicles driving down the pavement or through the shopping area (although of course this can happen for a number of reasons) so they dont expect mobility scooters coming up quickly from behind them, they can be like a near silent suprise, but a rather unpleasant suprise if they were to be accidentally hit by one.

While the general public need to keep themselves alert to the possibility of mobility scooters coming up from behind them, its also the responsibility of the users of them to politely make themselves heard and let others know of their presence for the safety of all.

Hi, would leaving a mobility battery charger connected to the battery charge socket but switched off discharge the battery completely? Many thanks, Steve

The London Discussion didn’t actually get going, who knows though, it might do so in the future.

Basically what im hoping for is for people to reply to the post here and to let others know about anything that they know regarding mobility in Manchester.

It could be a shop that you buy your mobility aids from, or a place within the city that could do with some improvements with regards to accessibility or maybe even a club of some sort for disabled people in general.

Sometimes people are looking for a local place to get their mobility scooter fixed, so if you have any recommendations, good or bad experiences or advice regarding mobility in Manchester then feel free to reply here with your comments.

Can you tell me, who pays for the electricity to charge my scooter? I live in a sheltered complex and the Housing Association have installed 2 charging points and the electricity used is paid for by an increase in the communal service charge.

Some residents are not happy with this. Thanks

Hi, hope you can help, my mother who suffered a stroke has a hs-580 which hasnt been used in a while but now the weather is picking up she wants to start using it.  The diagnostic light is flashing 5 times to say there is a brake malfunction, any idea what it could be?

Its preventing it from moving at all.

I wonder if those people are questioning if they can safely use a zimmer frame as support while climbing stairs but i think that this would be a bad idea and rather dangerous as although frames provide good support around the home and outdoors, when it comes to a flight of stairs they are not ideal.

Where they can be used safely is when there are steps outside that have quite a large area to them before the next step, sometimes where theres only a few steps to go up, and where they are not steep and allow plenty of space to safely place your frame onto.

When it comes to stairs in the home then definately dont take chances with trying to use a zimmer frame to get yourself upstairs, it becomes too difficult regarding holding on to what you need to.

Always use the correct mobility aid for each task as each is specifically designed for its purpose and if chosen and used correctly will assist you and should never create more difficulties regarding your mobility.

Note:  Zimmer Frames are also known as Walking Frames, they are the same mobility aid and the name choice is dependent simply on what you prefer to call them.

I have a Pro-Rider King Class 3 mobility scooter which is just 12 months old and hardly used.  Its been parked in my garage for the past 6 months and it was working fine when I parked it up. The problem now is it won’t move. Its  showing fully charged the lights/indicators are working ok and I can hear the contacts clicks on forward/ reverse leaver but there is no movment.