If you find yourself wondering if zimmer frames (walking frames) are safe then first you need to consider in what respect.

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.

When needing to know the amount of charge time that your mobility scooter battery needs you should always check the documentation that you received with the particular make and model of mobility scooter that you own.

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.

We all see a lot more mobility scooters out there on the streets these days and when one is coming towards you its usually very easy to see them even though you might not hear much (if any) sound from them.

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.