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Mobility Scooter Safety Laws
Information provided by Paul Rooney Solicitors - Published: 2010-07-20
Safety Implications of Mobility Scooters to Be Reviewed.
The laws and legislations that currently cover the operation of mobility scooters are set for an overhaul after a rise in accidents, and complaints at the inability to properly prosecute scooter owners.
A committee of MPs will open an inquiry in February which will review the safety implications of these scooters. The committee will look at a number of issues, including whether owners of mobility scooters should be trained and tested in a similar vein to other motor vehicle drivers.
Another issue of great concern is the fact that owners of mobility scooters are not legally required to have insurance for their scooters as other motorists are, which means those involved in accidents or collisions with scooters are currently unable to make a compensation claim for any injuries they may sustain.
In October a two-year-old girl was knocked down by a mobility scooter in Doncaster, but the child’s mother was told by police that they were unable to take action as mobility scooters are not classed as motor vehicles. The owner of the mobility scooter, a woman in her 70s, was merely warned about her future conduct by police officers at the scene.
Meanwhile a disabled man in Darlington was arrested recently for driving his mobility scooter while three times over the alcohol limit, and with a friend sat on his lap. But because mobility scooters are not covered under normal drink-driving laws, the man was arrested under an obscure Victorian law, which makes it illegal to be drunk whilst in control of a carriage.
At Paul Rooney Solicitors in Liverpool, we specialise in personal injury and accident compensation claims. We have been practising law for over 30 years and are proud to offer our clients professional personal injury solicitors complete with exceptional standards of service.
For more information on compensation claims visit http://www.paulrooney.co.uk
- This web page is from the Disabled World Electric Mobility Scooters section which provides: Guide to mobility scooters including advantages and disadvantages of electric or mobility scooters over power electric wheelchairs.
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