Road Safety Laws and Mobility Scooters
Stories such as that to be reported today about a fatal accident involving a mobility scooter and a pedestrian continue to emerge in the news. They do address a serious issue of how road safety should be managed for the growing number of mobility scooter users.
Lillian Macey (90) from Essex died after being run down on a sidewalk by mobility scooter user Walter Cousins. Lillian was taken to hospital and died a couple of days later from her injuries. Walter did not even remain at the scene of the accident.
Police in the Isle of Wight where the accident occurred were concerned when they realized they could not prosecute Mr Cousins in relation to Lillian’s death. The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death, whilst stating that more needs t o be done to address how handicap vehicles are covered by the Road Traffic Act.
Mobility Scooter users do not require any form of driving test or insurance before taking their power vehicles onto the sidewalks and highways, and accidents are now becoming common-place, both to scooter-users and pedestrians.
