1.  SUBMITTER INTRODUCTION

  I am employed by Norfolk Constabulary as a Crime Reduction Officer within the Community Safety Department and I work in Great Yarmouth. Within my role I am responsible for vulnerable and elderly victims of crime as well as assisting Safer Neighbourhood Team's with problem solving projects. I am a Trustee of Age Concern, Great Yarmouth, and I represent the Constabulary at local level when attending Older Peoples Network & Safeguarding Adults meetings.

2.  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

  Mobility scooters are being used more and more and while people's ability to be mobile is very important, the safety of mobility scooter users and other pedestrians is equally important.

  The safety of the public is the priority of Norfolk Constabulary and after listening to concerns about the use of mobility scooters the Constabulary devised an awareness course to help enhance users' ability to use their scooter in a safe and appropriate manner.

  An awareness DVD for mobility scooter users is being produced by Norfolk Constabulary to be used in conjunction with the practical safety awareness course that was piloted in Great Yarmouth. Safer Neighbourhood Teams across Norfolk will be encouraged to run courses and distribute the DVDs to users as part of our proactive approach to engage with these communities.

  A selection of charitable and commercial partners with similar concerns about user safety are being sought to support our efforts in Norfolk with a view to making this available nationwide.

3.  BACKGROUND INFORMATION

  3.1  Norfolk Constabulary devised a mobility scooter awareness course together with partner agencies in the early part of 2009 in response to community concerns. The main concern raised to officers at a local Safer Neighbourhood Team in Great Yarmouth was the manner of driving on roads and footways—in particular mobility scooter riders hitting into market stalls and going too fast.

  3.2  An awareness course was devised by officers in partnership with Norfolk County Council's Road Safety Officer and local traffic management from the Constabulary. The course included negotiating cone slalom and other hazards, reversing, familiarity of the dials on the vehicle, use of the mirror and indicators and generally improving users' road safety.

  3.3  Our partners for this multi-agency initiative were the Red Cross, Dial and Help the Aged, and local mobility scooter outlets who provided stands and equipment for the day. The day also provided an opportunity for the Safer Neighbourhood Team and partners to engage with people who represent some of our most vulnerable members of society and who are often not well represented at many local meetings. In addition to offering advice on a wide range of subjects from our partners, we were also able to provide security advice for both person and home.

  3.4  Following the success of the first course in March a second event was held in December 2009. A DVD is going into production this month which will offer Highway Code guidance and important safety advice for users to absorb both in a group situation and in the comfort of their own home.

4.  RESEARCH

4.1  Identifying public concern

  4.1.1  During the build up to the first course local research was carried out to assess the problems which had been reported by the public. We found that the common concerns were:

(a) Poor driving behaviour.

(b) Speeding in pedestrian areas.

(c) Collisions with parked vehicles and stalls on the market place.

(d) Concern for some being used along busy roads.

  4.1.2  Further research identified that any training was down to mobility scooter outlets and the level of training/guidance varied. It became clear that a person buying a mobility scooter from an official showroom/shop would be measured to specific machines to fit their size and needs but this would not be the case if purchased second hand or off the internet. This meant that some users put themselves at risk by using perhaps unsuitable machines.

  4.1.3  What concerned us was that someone who had no previous experience of driving on the road could now use a slow moving scooter on a road and even a dual carriageway, without any or limited training provided. Class Three scooters should only be used by those members of the community who are registered disabled from the age of 14 and upwards. Even more concerning was that they did not require any insurance.

4.2  Incidents involving mobility scooters

  4.2.1  Gaining access to figures on incidents involving mobility scooters has proved extremely difficult as often they are not reported and police officers are not required to attend. If someone attends hospital suffering from leg injuries sustained from a mobility scooter incident these are often recorded as personal injury.

  4.2.3  Even when police officers attend an incident it is often difficult to determine how to deal with it. We found incidents locally of a person who sustained serious leg injuries and Crown Prosecution Service decided it was not in the public interest to prosecute as the driver was on benefits and had no insurance.

  4.2.4  There have been incidents where the rider has driven off having knocked an elderly person over causing them injuries and requiring hospital treatment. If they had been in a car this would have been classed as a hit and run, and failing to stop/stay at the scene of an accident. Unfortunately incidents like these are occurring and are not being recorded, making it difficult to gauge the level and frequency of these collisions.

  4.2.5  It is reported that there were nationally in the category of other incidents in which scooters come under. 1,970 incidents occurred in 2006, this rose to 2,971 in 2007 and in 2008 this rose again to 3,238. There is however no way of knowing how many of these were attributable to mobility scooters.

4.3  North Yarmouth safety awareness course

  4.3.1  Our training course was designed by our Traffic Management Officer, Mr David Law and the Norfolk County Council Road Safety Officer, Mr Robert Daynes.

  4.3.2  The course was based loosely on the National Cycling Proficiency and was designed around everyday problems that mobility scooter users encounter, such as restricted/obstructed footways due to dustbin days, the need to reverse to avoid obstructions and people. There was no pass of fail for the course attendees.

  4.3.3  A Keystone Eye sight tester was made available at the events and those whose sight appeared to be below acceptable levels were advised to seek professional assistance. A mobility scooter provides individuals with a great amount of flexibility and independence and we wanted to encourage them to continue to enjoy this but in a safe and responsible way.

4.4  Course analysis

  4.4.1  Important lessons were learnt from both our training days. The courses were carried out at indoor venues so we were not affected by weather, but ideally it should or could be carried out on roads and footways as we would with cycle proficiency.

  4.4.2  Our training courses highlighted the need for people to be assessed but also to allow them to recognise their own limitation and highlight the need to raise their awareness on their ability to use the scooters safely.

  4.4.3  Some users had limited upper body movement making reversing hazardous as they were unable to physically look behind and the mirrors on the scooters were small and poor quality and you lost sight of what is behind you when the steering column is turned. Some lacked confidence and were concerned at the quick acceleration but after a number of attempts began to feel more comfortable.

  4.4.4  The size of the scooter's also caused a problem as the larger machines needed greater areas to turn and manoeuvre. One user on the first course admitted to having had more than six collisions on their scooter in just over a year. This clearly demonstrated the need for training courses to be implemented to help educate the user on a safe code of practice.

5.  RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1  Suggested improvements

  There are a number of suggestions we would like to make that would improve the safety of the users and the public at large. These fall into two categories, the first being legislation and the second being construction of the mobility scooters.

5.2  Legislation

  5.2.1  To make legislation that requires users of Class Two and Three scooters to have third party insurance. This will provide the user with peace of mind regarding fire and theft of their machines but also allows anyone injured as a result of a collision to gain compensation for their injuries. Some people have argued that pedestrians and cyclists do not require insurance but can cause injuries to others, however a scooter can weigh up to 150Kg unladened and at 4mph or 8mph can cause severe damage to peoples legs if struck, and these type of collisions are happening more often than is being recorded.

  5.2.2  The recording of incidents involving mobility scooters. At present local hospitals record injuries suffered by scooters as personal injury, we would like to see them recorded as scooter collisions, and should police be involved then they should be recorded as a Road Traffic Collision (mobility scooter), this will assist in providing more accurate information for future data.

  5.2.3  Compulsory safety awareness courses should be adopted and could be carried out under a partnership arrangement between local authority Road Safety Departments and Constabularies. We would suggest running four courses a year from a central point within a county. These would be pre-planned and well publicised events to provide the public with early notification to allow users to plan ahead.

  5.2.4  County courses run on a quarterly basis would enable partnership participation from mobility scooter outlets and manufacturers, who would be able to offer advice and guidance to those considering a purchase. Safety awareness courses should be standardised to offer encouragement guidance and assistance to users and most importantly confidence in the individuals' ability. Our courses are by no means the finished article, however they do provide a platform in which to build on for a guide to standardise awareness training.

  5.2.5  Regulations should be introduced to improve guidance and enforcement on driving without due care and attention, leaving the scene of an incident, hit and run, driving whilst under the influence etc.

5.3  Recommendation on improvements to mobility scooters for manufacturers

  In January 2010 we held a meeting with Sunrise Medical, one of the main manufacturers of mobility scooters to discuss considerations for improvements to the scooters. They took away our recommendation for consideration. We would like all manufacturers to consider these points:

1. Since Class Two and Class Three are permitted on the road and more often than not Class Two carriages are forced onto roads because there is often insufficient space on footways or lack of crossing facilities. In more rural towns and settlements often there are no footways at all. Class Two should be fitted with the same lights, reflectors, horn and mirrors that benefit a Class Three model.

2. One of the difficulties highlighted was that mobility scooters are often difficult to see in poor visibility or in darkness, could consideration be given to having a full width rear red reflector, and better reflective material along the sides? Could consideration be given to thin fibre optic orange coloured lighting strips to go along the edges of the machine to raise the profile in poor visibility?

3. Many scooters are dark in colour, could they be made/painted brighter colours or increase the reflective surfaces on them?

4. Since the Highway Code states that users should wear bright clothing, could consideration be given to providing fluorescent jackets with each purchase of a machine to try to standardise the need to wear these items of clothing?

5. During the training course we set up, it quickly became clear that many scooter users lacked upper body movement. This was due to a number of reasons but it resulted in them relying on their mirrors for guidance, they quickly ran into difficulty when they tried to reverse around an obstacle as they quickly lost sight of what was behind them. Could consideration be given to either larger mirrors or gyro type mirrors that would remain looking in one direction whilst turning in another?

6. Due to the problems some people experience in reversing, could consideration be given to some form of audio warning to give pedestrians prior notice of their intention or an audio warning to let the operator know when they are approaching an obstacle or person similar to that used on vehicles?

7. We are concerned as to the easy access to scooters on the second hand market; these can be purchased from e-bay, auctions, and markets, boot sales without any advice or guidance. When a family member has died and the family are left with one of these scooters all they want to do is to get rid of it. Perhaps if the mobility scooter industry offered a buy back scheme where the price could be based on age and condition, the scooter could then be serviced and placed back into the market as a serviced scooter. We feel this is a better way of recycling the item as the scooter is then sold back through the industry to the end user in a controlled way. A similar scheme operates in Holland.

8. A buy back scheme would also help to recycle the unit in a responsible manner. Should the unit be found to be past repair there are disposal issues around the electronics, plastics, tyres and batteries to be taken into consideration?

9. Security is a key issue. We suggest that adjacent to the tiller (on the inside of the unit) it would be really useful to have a lockable box, fixed to the unit, or moulded into the unit similar to a glove compartment found in motor vehicles. This should not interfere with the user's ability to control the scooter or make it difficult for the user to move onto or off the unit. We are not asking for a large storage box but a discrete compartment where the end user could place for example, house keys, purse, wallet, or mobile phone. It is all to easy for the user to place their handbag in baskets or sling them over the back of the chair, this can make them unwittingly victims of crime when they are stolen out of the basket or removed from the back of the chair while in motion. We have seen scooters with large lockable storage boxes which are an excellent idea for security.

10. On some models under the seat/chair fixings there is a small round reflective disc which we believe could too easily be covered up by the users clothing, blankets, cushions etc. This makes it in-effective as a reflective aid.

11. Are there any speed inhibitors that enable the user to go slower than four miles per hour? As a pedestrian we would be walking quite briskly to meet that speed. We would suggest manufacturers look at three speed settings of 2,4 and 8.mph. 2 mph within crowded shops and or super markets is a far more controlled speed.

12. Are there any speed inhibitors, similar to parking sensors, when the scooter is turning or negotiating an obstacle where the scooter sensors can identify an object etc? The sensor would recognise this and automatically bring the machine to a slower speed.

6.  NORFOLK CONSTABULARY MOBILITY SCOOTER SAFETY AWARENESS INITIATIVE

  6.1  Norfolk Constabulary will launch a campaign in the Great Yarmouth area next month to tackle the social issues that surround mobility scooters. The campaign will focus on community engagement to empower the users with safety advice and tips to help them retain their independence.

  6.2  A series of safety awareness events will be held across Norfolk modelled on the initial course in Great Yarmouth. These will be run in association with a commercial sponsor and a number of key partner agencies. Mobility scooter users will be encouraged to attend the non-compulsory events to learn tips and techniques to improve theirs and others safety. The events will be publicised through SNTs, local and national partners, retailers and the media. We also hope to conduct more research to demonstrate the benefits of the safety awareness activities to other organisations.

  6.3  An integral part of the course will be a safety awareness DVD. This will be designed to help scooter users understand how to cope with a range of different driving scenarios which they may encounter on a daily basis. The main purposes of the DVD are tips and techniques for staying safe and secure, guidance to The Highway Code and the law and mobile scooter etiquette. Event attendees in Norfolk will receive a complimentary DVD alongside useful safety products and advice from partners and sponsors.

  6.4  Roadshows will also be held in the Great Yarmouth area to encourage users to learn how to undertake maintenance and other safety checks. SNTs in Norfolk will be supplied with training packs and encouraged to run mobility safety awareness courses where they believe there is a local requirement. Copies of the DVD will also be made available free of charge to mobility scooter users in Norfolk on a request basis and through SNTs.

  6.5  RoSPA have confirmed their support of our inititiative and will be presented with a DVD treatment later this month to ensure the appropriate safety advice has been covered in the content. Motability launch their new wheelchair user and scooter scheme in July and have also expressed an interest in our initiative

  6.6  After making the events and DVDs freely available in Norfolk we plan a national rollout with an accompanying mobility scooter user guide to the Highway Code and a safety awareness training pack being sold to police forces, local and district councils and other agencies to enable them to host their own events across the country.

7.  CONCLUSIONS

  We feel that the current situation with regard to mobility scooters does not protect both pedestrians and other road users. There has been a marked increase in mobility scooter use over recent years and we feel that new guidance is now needed. Norfolk Constabulary would like to pilot the idea of running non-compulsory course alongside the production of a safety awareness DVD which would compliment the course. The DVD will be a useful guide for mobility scooter users to help them understand how to stay safe and secure whilst coping with a range of different driving scenarios which they may encounter on a daily basis. This DVD will be made available to all mobility scooter users in Norfolk who attend the courses and upon request for those unable to get along. The Constabulary plans a national roll out of the training materials and DVD with the support of commercial and charity partners to recover the costs incurred. A number of markets have been identified to host courses across the country including other police forces, local and district councils, sheltered housing associations and some health related organisations. Scooter manufacturers will be targeted to encourage them to make the DVDs available freely to their customers.

  During the campaign Norfolk Constabulary and our partners will carry our research into users' behaviours with regard to safety and security. Our research will be made available to the Transport Committee.

February 2010