Winter mobility Scooter Safety Tips
Western countries are seeing a rise in demand for motorized mobility scooters due to the aging population’s desire for independence.
These devices include motorized scooters and electric wheelchairs for people with difficulty walking. Motorized devices allow people with disabilities or medical conditions to be unable to walk. This means that they are only to be used by people with injuries, disabilities, or medical conditions.
Those who use mobility devices or manual wheelchairs are considered pedestrians, so they must follow the same road rules as pedestrians. It is often necessary for pedestrians and wheelchair users to share the road because these devices must be built so that they do not pose a risk to other road users.
as a general rule
- Keep your scooter well-maintained, including regularly checking tire pressure and battery level.
- Dress warmly and in layers, wearing gloves and a waterproof jacket to stay dry.
- Use a clear, well-lit path when possible. Avoid icy or snowy areas, and use caution when crossing roads.
- Use caution when going up and down hills, as they can be slippery in winter weather.
- Use extra caution when turning, as the scooter may be less stable on slick surfaces.
- Always be aware of your surroundings and watch for potential hazards, such as ice or snow-covered curbs.
- Keep a charged cell phone with you in case of emergency.
- Consider using a flag or brightly colored scarf to make yourself more visible to drivers and pedestrians.
- Avoid carrying large or heavy items on your scooter, as they can affect stability.
Tips for Using Your Mobility Scooter Safely this Winter
Avoiding Ice
When the roads are covered in ice, driving can be extremely dangerous for all drivers, so it is best not to go out during this time. Understandably, staying home during bad weather is not always an option, so here are some tips:
It is best to avoid steep hills and icy surfaces. It would help if you made yourself visible. Keep an eye out for other hazards (including cars and other drivers!). Don’t rush
Getting to your destination may take a little longer than usual, but staying safe on the ice is worth the extra time.
Stay Visible
In the winter, a scooter rider should keep himself visible to drivers and pedestrians because the sun rises and sets later.
If the light level changes throughout the day, you can ensure you stay visible by wearing a high-visibility jacket and installing safety lights on your scooter.
Keep it Clean
When the weather gets cold, a breakdown on your mobility scooter can cause a lot of trouble, so it’s essential to ensure it remains clean of dirt and dust throughout the cold months.
You should remove your mobility scooter after every use to ensure no dust or dirt build-up. If you have been out in the rain, ensure your scooter is completely dry before storing it.
Stay Charged Up
When you are out and about, ensuring your mobility scooter battery is charged is the best way to ensure you don’t end up breaking down in the cold or stranded!
Keep your scooter’s battery charged overnight and after each use over the winter, as it is more susceptible to draining in the winter. When not in use, store it in a dry place and charge it overnight and after each use to keep the battery topped up.
Wheel Maintenance
Check your scooter’s wheels for proper traction to avoid slipping or sliding if you’re out on icy surfaces. As the sole point of contact with the ground, wheels should be your highest priority during the winter.
In the same way, ensuring your tires are inflated properly all year round is important, especially as winter approaches, to ensure they remain puffed up and ready for ice and snow.
Interventions for Mobility devices users’ safety at the national level
Education
Education about mobility scooters can contribute to community awareness and knowledge, promote behavior change, and improve safety skills. Educating drivers and mobility scooter users about unsafe road safety practices, promoting desirable attitudes towards walking as a legitimate form of transportation, teaching strategies to reduce injury risk, and increasing awareness of other road users can help improve road safety knowledge.
Older mobility scooter users could benefit from training programs designed to raise their awareness of their declining cognitive and physical abilities and encourage them to cross the road more safely.
Speed reduction
A small speed reduction can result in valuable gains in preventing severe road trauma among Mobility scooter drivers, and the severity of crash injuries is highly dependent on the collision speed of the vehicle. In a 45 km/hr collision, less than 50% of pedestrians survive; however, in a 30 km/hr collision, more than 90% survive. Several European countries have also lowered speed limits in urban areas to 50 km/hr or less, including some of London’s high pedestrian areas. Pedestrians and drivers have more time to be aware of each other with traffic-calming devices like roundabouts, refuge islands, speed bumps, chicanes, and rumble strips.
Mobility scooter-vehicle separation
Mobility scooter drivers and vehicles can be protected from mid-block collisions with guard rails and barrier fencing. Still, research on whether guard rails reduce crashes between Mobility scooters and traffic needs to be more consistent.
A garden bed barrier or raised planter box would be a better pedestrian-vehicle separator that is less overt in redirecting pedestrians/mobility scooter drivers. There is a substantial reduction in pedestrian collisions when an overpass or underpass occurs.
Crossings and crosswalks
The literature indicates that no-signal crosswalks increase or decrease pedestrian safety but are cheaper than signal-controlled crossings, such as painted crosswalks on roads. It has been found that pedestrian crashes on multilane, high-density traffic roads are often higher when there are no signal crosswalks.
Scooter-vehicle conflicts are substantially reduced by controlled crossings with traffic signals, particularly at intersections with exclusive traffic signals (which stop all vehicle traffic for pedestrians and mobility scooters). While signaled pedestrian crossings are generally considered safe, older pedestrians often experience accidents at these crossings due to the short time the walk phase is in the walk-do-n’t-walk signal.
Lighting
It has been shown that pedestrian crashes are reduced at night when roadway lighting is improved at pedestrian crossings. Additionally, it is recommended to improve pedestrian safety at marked crosswalks at night or during low-light conditions. By carrying torch lights or wearing retro-reflective clothing/material, pedestrians can be more visible to drivers in low light. It is also possible to improve pedestrian visibility at crossings by restricting parking nearby because parked vehicles often block drivers’ views of pedestrians.
Pathways and sidewalks
It has been proven that widening footpaths and extending curbs reduce the risk of collisions between pedestrians and mobility scooter drivers, especially in residential areas. In areas where public transport stations and stops are located, wide footpaths without overhanging vegetation, parked cars, and curb ramps are recommended. Mobility scooter drivers and those with physical disabilities can use curb ramps, while those with visual impairments can use tactile surfaces at elevation changes.
Bottom line
Although it is just as important to enjoy yourself in the winter as in the summer, you should take precautions to keep yourself safe when using your mobility scooter. Policymakers, transport planners, and drivers need to prioritize walking or driving on mobility scooters within the road environment. Pedestrians and Mobility scooter users need environments that facilitate active living and safe travel, so governments should consider appropriate urban planning, road safety, and transportation policies that accommodate ‘active aging.
Winter is a time to stay safe, stay visible, watch out for hazards, and wrap up warm to ensure your safety and the lives of those around you.
