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[Nickbat]

The lads from Top Gear discuss this profound issue.

http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2010/09/17/series-15-news-outtake-drink-walking/

 

[holtender]

Sooner or later someone is going to get killed by one of these things,

some people clearly need them and they have really benefitted many elderly people who might be house bound, but I notice so many are now being used by overweight workshy types and guess who is paying the running costs?

[SJKOO01]

Some of the elderly folk drive them like their in a F1 race !.  Had one a few days ago that shot out in front of me from a side rode, no warning or nothing. Just glad that I saw him in time  .

Then went on to shoot through the traffic lights, and I'm telling you he wasn't hang back on the throttle  .

Unfortunately he then became the same as most using them on the road, seamed to take up a lot of road for a little vehicle, and couldn't get past him through town for a while, due to the narrow roads and opposing traffic.

Thinking about it, I can't wait to get that old, and be bolshy on the roads with one of them turbo'd electric cars (whatever !), and not give a damn       

[PhilRich]

Mobility scooters are a loophole often driven by an **sehole!
Remember earlier last week, that prat riding one with a roll of carpet strapped to it blocking the whole of the lane? The Police had to let him go with a 'stern talking to!' :-? because the scooter isn't classed as a motor vehicle, nor motor tricicle under the Road Traffic Act! IMHO, if it has a form of remote motive power & travels on the Highway, it should require a Licence to drive it & Insurance to cover its use wherever it's used!

[aaronjb]

Guess what Halfords have just started selling?

Yep.. mobility scooters (and walking frames)

I thought I'd walked into the wrong shop..

[Varche]

I think they are great. One day you will all be old and perhaps unable to drive a car and have no one to take you places. A scooter gives you some independence.

The problem is perhaps lack of training but more likely a lack of compassion and sympathy from able bodied young people who are too busy racing to their next place of work, home, shop etc in what passes for "life".

...........................................

[albitz]

The other side of that coin is that there are a lot of people using them who obviously dont need them. Just like everything else disability related - the shameless p1sstakers get everyone tarred with the same brush as well as wasting resources which could be put to good use for genuinely disabled people.

[pscocoa]

I think they are great. One day you will all be old and perhaps unable to drive a car and have no one to take you places. A scooter gives you some independence.

The problem is perhaps lack of training but more likely a lack of compassion and sympathy from able bodied young people who are too busy racing to their next place of work, home, shop etc in what passes for "life".

...........................................

Agree totally - in laws had to give up driving recently and bought 2 of these scooters - a new lease of life for them in their 80s. I wouldn't venture out though when they are in action in Mount Hawke area of Cornwall!!

[Vamps]

I think they are great. One day you will all be old and perhaps unable to drive a car and have no one to take you places. A scooter gives you some independence.

The problem is perhaps lack of training but more likely a lack of compassion and sympathy from able bodied young people who are too busy racing to their next place of work, home, shop etc in what passes for "life".

...........................................

Are you suggesting that disabled people on scooters are not going to work............. typical assumption which does annoy me, I accept all the arguments but not everyone with a disability does not lead an ordinary working day and family life.......

[Sixstring]

I saw one recently that had alloy wheels, a sparkling paint job, leather "recaro" type seat, and a rear luggage carrier,lights, indicators, the lot. The price tag was.......£8k!!!!


Jeez....................you'd get a lot of decent Miggies for that.................................!!

[scimmy_man]

the mark up on them is immense,

the £8k one probably came into the country at about a grand.

[SJKOO01]

The other side of that coin is that there are a lot of people using them who obviously dont need them. Just like everything else disability related - the shameless p1sstakers get everyone tarred with the same brush as well as wasting resources which could be put to good use for genuinely disabled people.

The above is a good point.

Same goes for too many people seam to have those 'blue disabled parking badges'.
All the Council's seam to give them out without having rules to see if the person really needs them.

And I really feel that half the people I see using them shouldn't really have them, as they seam to work to the shops okay ?!        .

Mind you the other side of the coin of this is that, too many able bodied people are too rather lazy to park a few extra hundred yards further out, and park in the disabled bays.  Oh and those mothers with children that seam to think that the disability bay means they can park there because their hands are full with the kids !        .

If you're abled bodied, but want to park there, I'll happily break you kneecaps for you, and throw in a free blue parking badge     

[Chris_H]

I wasn't aware that they were 'given out'.  I thought punters had to buy them.

[jereboam]

I had to venture into town today to sign on - not fun in my present state of silence, but it had to be done.  The sheer number of these machines, not to mention motorised wheelchairs, self-propelled wheelchairs, pushed wheelchairs and "buggies" is unbelievable.  I'm sure they outnumber pedestrians now. 

The things I really hate are these metre-wide buggies designed for two toddlers.  I swear that some of the children I see in them are bigger than I am - they should be out playing rugby, not sitting slumped in these war chariots with a dummy stuffed in their pudgy, pasty faces.

It's quite clear that we are evolving into wheeled animals.  David Attenborough will be doing a documentary on us soon. 

[Webby the Bear]

no probs with old folk using motor scooters but it makes me sick when i see 40 year olds in them who are simply so enormous they cant move. these are pathetic people who would be exterminated in "Bear's Britain".