One needed to very carefully reverse away from the counter after being served, the other needed to edge forwards and backwards repeatedly until being able to finally get around the corner.

To be fair in each situation there was little that could be done to assist, i think the shop workers in both of those situations were right to not interfere, as the person who eeded to do some very careful reversing seemed comfortable enough with it and managed fine once she realised that there really were no other options.

I think that some non users can be intimidated by the mobility scooter, although most users are careful and courteous, i think the sight of a less than courteous user sticks in the mind of non users so that even when faced with a mobility scooter situation in a shop you often see that people are not sure what else to do but get out of the way.

As of yet though i dont know of a specific course that provides this training, maybe it is out there, if it is though it probably wont be nationwide, i have searched to see if it exists but found nothing, maybe it might appear in the future somewhere in the country.

Of course you can learn about mobility scooters yourself by beginning with small and easier repairs, there is quite a bit of information online from fellow owners of mobility scooters of different makes and models and this can help you get a basic understanding.

Although there are a few users of mobility scooters who dont operate their own as safely as they should, the majority do and are courteous, regardless of how long they have been using one.

Some of the complaining about users can then extend to people not feeling that some people really need to be using a mobility scooter, obviously each individual’s need and reason for using one will differ but for users who are usually only seen passing in the street this is harder for a nonuser to gauge the persons need to use one.

Basically, what the public dont see, the struugles that some people experience just getting around their own home, entering and exiting the home threshold, bathing, cooking and even comfortable enough sleeping are all challenges that some people face daily.

Some disabilities dont look obvious to other people, especially to people without mobility issues, when they see you outside, if they dont know you and dont live near you then its easy for them to forget that you have other situations in your daily life that goes beyond your use of a mobility scooter.

You might be using a whole host of mobility aids that fall into the Home Healthcare category and your day might need to be carefully planned for you to get through it at a manageable pace.

It’s completely understandable that some people without mobility difficulties will not realise this, its not unusual to assess a situation as you see it, there and then, without knowing more about another person, nearly everyone does it at some point in their life, but it’s something for everyone to keep in mind.

But if at times you are out with the grandkids or your dog, you might not immediately consider that they might have trouble keeping up with you, the majority of the time you will be travelling faster than walking pace of most people and if those walking with you are expected to stay close to you, possibly right behind you, obviously you might not be aware of their difficulty in trying to keep up with you.

Yesterday for example i saw what i would guess was a grandmother with two grandkids right behind her, what i noticed though was that both kids were having to occasionally jog, then stop and walk quickly then kinda hurry a bit more, almost jogging again.

As the grandmother was travelling at a decent speed and was in front, she seemed oblivious to what the kids were needing to do just to keep up with her.

On other occasions i have seen mobility sccooter users with their dog on a lead running along the side, not so bad if the dog gets some exercise but still a situation where the mobility scooter user needs to be careful with regards to accelerating, not stopping too quickly and taking extra care when passing other people on pavements and when crossing roads.

Once you get used to a mobility scooter its all too easy to forget that others cant always necessarily keep up and its something to keep in mind next time you are out with family or the pet dog.

1. Question: Can i take a mobility scooter inside supermarkets? Answer: Generally yes, some supermarkets have their own too that can be used by shoppers.
2. Question: Can i take my mobility scooter into shops and stores? Answer: This will often depend on the size of the shop or store that you wish to enter and whether they have ramp access, wider aisles will make for a pleasant and easier experience for you.
3. Question: Can i take my mobility scooter inside hospitals? Answer: Yes, this shouldn’t be a problem, with regards to being allowed to and also having enough space to maneuver, you should generally be ok taking them inside hospitals.
4. Question: Can i take my mobility scooter on a bus? Answer: More often than not they are not allowed to be taken on a bus in the sense of you riding it onto the bus, this is understandably quite a disappointment for many users too, some buses will allow them on though, depending on size etc

There are always exceptions to the situations mentioned above, if you know of public transport and specific stores that are especially accommodating or that dont accommodate very well please share the information with others by commenting.

It is common place for supermarkets to cater quite well for mobility scooters and also wheelchairs, indoor shopping centres and stores that allow for a person with mobility needs to move between display units easily.

In many cases it wont so much be a matter of whether a mobility scooter is allowed into a particular building but whether the building can appropriately allow a mobility scooter user to move freely throughout the building and without any unnecessary risks.

Accessibility is something that more and more businesses try to cater for as much as they possibly can, also local councils take this into account when planning development and regeneration within local areas.

With modern buildings there is plenty of thought put into making a building accessible to those with mobility needs way before any actual development begins, whereas with older buildings (depending on the age of the building) they might not be so mobility friendly, and by mobility friendly i mean the original building design and layout, not the people who work within the building.

Where possible though, even in quite old buildings, adaptations are made to make a building more accessible.

So if you find yourself wondering if mobility scooters are allowed in a building it will depend on the particular building that you want to access, whether they have what is needed in place for your safe entry, exit and manoeuvres around the building or whether there might be a special type of flooring in place inside the building or parts of it that could become too easily damaged from a mobility scooter being used on it.

Quite often they have been very well looked after, some maybe hardly used and the owner or family are sometimes asking a very fair price for the mobility scooter.

If you know of one that is for sale and you are interested in buying, it can be a good idea to find out how old it is first, although parts are available for various makes and models, others might pose a problem when trying to get hold of replacement parts.

It might be that a second hand mobility scooter for sale looks hardly used and is hardly used but theres still the possibility that in the near future you might need a part for it, (even though it might be faultless at the moment) and this is when you may start to discover that you either cant get hold of some or most parts for that particular make and model.

A mobility scooter that is a few years old doesn’t mean that parts wont be readily available for it but its definately a good idea to check this before buying the second hand scooter, only to find out aftwards that what at first seemed like a real bargain turns out to be less so.

If you intend to purchase any future necessary parts locally then this would be the first place for you to check to see if the local mobility aid dealers can get parts for the mobility scooter that you are interested in buying.

Being prepared to look for any replacement parts online for a second hand model will improve your chances of getting hold of them but it wont guarantee this.

If you keep this in mind before snapping up a second hand mobility scooter you can find out if its a good idea to go ahead and purchase one that you see advertised or hear about through word of mouth.

As long as you haven’t had recent problems with your mobility scooter you will probably be confident enough that with enough battery charge you should get back home from your journey without any problems.

What is the furthest distance that you have travelled on your mobility scooter? Maybe you regularly have to or choose to go on long journeys, when the pavements are in good condition it wont be bad but if the pavements that you have to use are not in good condition then its understandable that you might avoid a long journey when possible.

Do you make specific plans for any long journeys on your mobility scooter? Incase you have problems with the operating of it, for example keeping a mobile phone with you or agreeing on an arrival or return time with a relative or friend?

This video has been filmed abroad and not here in the UK but it shows how some people will take huge unnecessary risks.

Although it provides some amusement for the guys filming it from their own vehicle, its one of those heart in your mouth moments, theres a possibility that the mobility scooter user in this video might have other disabilities that might prevent him from fully understanding the danger of the situation that he is in but of course there are also some users that seem to understand that they are taking a risk and do it regardless.

The majority of mobility scooter users are very responsible individuals but what you see out in public and videos like this show the dangers that some will put themselves in.

Of course this type of situation is not exclusive of mobility scooter users, we see this type of risk from pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycle riders, car, van and lorry drivers and other types of vehicles.

While its not possible to stop situations like the one in the video, it does remind everyone else of the importance of safe and sensible use of mobility scooters, whether on a pavement, road or anywhere else.

In the video this elderly lady in Sheffield decided to ride through the flood water on her mobility scooter, she makes it through and over to the other side but this type of thing is best avoided.

Although her mobility scooter is still operating once she is out of the worst of it i wouldn’t be suprised if it would cause some problems maybe within a few days of her having gone through the water.

There is also the fact that she was taking a bit of a chance there with the conditions on that part of the road being quite bad, you can see that its a busy bit of road, the back wheels of her mobility scooter look almost completely submerged at one point.

If she didn’t at least end up with wet feet then i would be suprised.