It’s that time of year again that can look quite beautiful over the weeks with the leaves changing color and eventually falling and that feeling of change, the shedding of natures work in preparation for the winter ahead.

Depending on where you live and the amount of trees around, the build up of leaves can be quite substantial, and if the majority of leaves are not falling onto open soil then it can take a little longer for the leaves to break down if they dont get cleared up first.

While using your mobility scooter and seeing a coating of leaves up ahead of you on the pavement may not pose much of an obvious problem, it’s what lies underneath the leaves that you cant see which may inconvenience you.

We’re not talking serious danger here, just the types of things that you would otherwise avoid on a clear pavement.

Although quite harmless, it can be more difficult to spot dog muck bewtween all of those leaves, this wont really cause you any problems but if you dont notice that it is on the tires and it gets taken indoors then this is slightly unpleasant of course.

Theres also the possibility of broken glass or other sharp objects, which wont be an issue for you if the tires on your mobility scooter and not inflatable but it might lead to a puncture on others.

Sometimes the leaves are totally covering the pavement, taking to the road may not be an option so at times you’re forced to ride through and over the leaves, there may be a dip in the pavement, even one that you have been aware of at other times but it can be difficult to know where it is when you cant see the pavement and only the mass of fallen leaves.

When you will find it a little more dangerous is when the leaves begin to get broken down and are soaking wet, this can sometimes create a slippery coating on the pavement surface and extra care should be taken if you’re ever travelling over a surface like this.

The autumn can be a great time of the year on the dry days when you can feel the freshness in the air and get to experience the wonderful colors of the leaves that the trees begin to shed, seeing those gorgeous reds, yellows, golden browns and shades in between.

We dont associate leaves as posing any danger to us, and on their own they really dont, it’s just when you have a build up of them over the ground that you’re travelling on, whether dry or wet that you need to practice caution, knowing that the leaves can hide unnoticeable inconveniences underneath.

You can also read more about general mobility aid use outdoors during the autumn at Adapting To Mobility Aid Use For Autumn And Winter

A few days ago i read a reply by Contax who comments on posts here and one comment was regarding his recent experience with a mobility scooter loan scheme in Scunthorpe and he was pleased with the scheme and found it convenient and from what he said in his comment, it appears that safety is a high priority as they make sure that you are able to use one safely enough before loaning it to you.

Have you found a scheme similar to this in your area? And how well is it run?

A mobility scooter loan scheme is a great idea if it is managed well, and if there is enough demand for it in an area then it’s something that makes a lot of sense to have in place.

If you currently dont have a scheme like this near to where you live and shop, do you feel that it is something that you would use if it was introduced for yourself and other mobility scooter users to benefit from?

Please share your opinions by commenting below.

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.