When buying a mobility scooter you might be looking for one that is second hand and there are often various makes and models being offered at quite decent prices, you might find them in your local classified paper or online , maybe even advertised in a local shop window or somewhere else in your community.

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.

Although some of you might only use your mobility scooter for very local and short journeys there are some of you who might like going on a longer journey and there can be times when its more of a necessity.

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.