Wheelchair code launched

by ANDREA PERRY, femail.co.uk

Disabled drivers of electric wheelchairs and scooters are to get their own version of the Highway Code.

Campaigners hope the Government-backed code will help reduce accidents on the roads involving the rising number of people who use them to get around.

About three quarters of a million people in the UK use a wheelchair and thousands of elderly and disabled people drive electric scooters.

But stories of pensioners driving their eight-mile-an-hour scooters along motorways have raised concerns that many people are not in control of their vehicles.

Moves to make public transport more wheelchair-friendly may also mean that many more disabled people will be using buses, trains and tubes.

The Highway Code for Electric Scooter and Wheelchair Users, launched today, has been produced by the British Healthcare Trades Association and is backed by the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions.

Disabled scooter drivers do not fit into the traditional Highway Code categories as they are not considered to be cars or motorbikes but are not legally allowed to use cycle lanes.

Electric scooter drivers must abide by a legal speed limit of 4mph on the pavement and 8mph on a road.

The new code, called Get Wise, includes similar advice to the conventional Highway Code about overloading vehicles and checking tyres regularly.

It also warns: 'Remember pedestrians always have the right of way - do not yield to the temptation to ram them!'

And scooter-drivers are warned to reduce their speed when in shops and buildings.

The guide, written by electric scooter user Margaret Godfree, also gives wheelchair users advice on how to travel safely on public transport.

She said of her first attempts at getting around on the scooter: 'I made all sorts of silly mistakes - and I have seen other people driving scooters and wheelchairs doing things which would make your hair curl.

'While most people drive with due care and attention, some of the people you see out and about in these vehicles are a danger to themselves and others.

'They have no road sense whatsoever - and there is very little in the way of guidance for them.'

For a free copy of the new Highway Code for wheelchair and scooter users call the British Healthcare Trades Association on 01732 458868.

Most watched News videos