Silly Scooter Driver

[bassett one 449]

driving down abbeydale road ,today and i know they are road legal, a man on a mobility scooter was in the middle of the road driving his scooter in front of me,at the first  safe area i passed,and progressed to the traffic lights opp the old lecano club,to my horror,he came past and  continued on the main road  through the RED light,how he survived i dont know,more luck tha anything,i know they are taxed/insured or should be,surely a  person on a road,should obey the rules of the road,dont they get lessons or is it like a bycycle just teach yourself and hope,anyone come accross this type of motoring offence. 

[Resident 1,185]

1 hour ago, bassett one said:

driving down abbeydale road ,today and i know they are road legal, a man on a mobility scooter was in the middle of the road driving his scooter in front of me,at the first  safe area i passed,and progressed to the traffic lights opp the old lecano club,to my horror,he came past and  continued on the main road  through the RED light,how he survived i dont know,more luck tha anything,i know they are taxed/insured or should be,surely a  person on a road,should obey the rules of the road,dont they get lessons or is it like a bycycle just teach yourself and hope,anyone come accross this type of motoring offence. 

Only RENTED scooters are legal, for a limited trial period. Private ones are still illegal but like cyclists who break the law, they are being ignored by SYP. 

[Jim Hardie 523]

26 minutes ago, Resident said:

Only RENTED scooters are legal, for a limited trial period. Private ones are still illegal but like cyclists who break the law, they are being ignored by SYP. 

That’s not relevant to mobility scooters.

[Rockers rule 673]

2 hours ago, bassett one said:

driving down abbeydale road ,today and i know they are road legal, a man on a mobility scooter was in the middle of the road driving his scooter in front of me,at the first  safe area i passed,and progressed to the traffic lights opp the old lecano club,to my horror,he came past and  continued on the main road  through the RED light,how he survived i dont know,more luck tha anything,i know they are taxed/insured or should be,surely a  person on a road,should obey the rules of the road,dont they get lessons or is it like a bycycle just teach yourself and hope,anyone come accross this type of motoring offence. 

This might be the same pilchard I saw a few weeks ago on a bicycle at exactly the same set of lights except he not only jumped the red lights but continued up the wrong side of the road towards the Hermitage into oncoming traffic.

Even I winced 

[bassett one 449]

it does seem odd that these disability scooters can be on the main road,but i thought they all had road tax/insurance .

[Hopman 46]

We're talking about a 4 wheeler sit down thingie rather than an electric 2 wheeler?

[AndrewC 306]

18 hours ago, Resident said:

Only RENTED scooters are legal, for a limited trial period. Private ones are still illegal but like cyclists who break the law, they are being ignored by SYP. 

A few things;

 

1. the OP is talking about a mobilty scooter, not the kind of scooters I think you're referring to.

 

With regards to 'cyclist law-breakers being ignored by the police', well:

 

2. Studies (I do have some links somewhere but I'll have to dig them out) have shown levels of 'law-breaking' by mode of transport are roughly even (and that takes in to account the varying numbers of drivers/cyclists/pedestrians etc),  if anything motorists break the laws of the road more routinely than any other mode.

 

3. As most police forces will be happy to tell you; when a cyclist or pedestrian breaks the law,  it results in (pretty much 100% of the time) - at most - an annoyance. When a motorist breaks the law it can frequently end up seriously injuring or killing people.

 

The number of deaths on roads & pavements in the UK over the last 5-10 years say, caused by cyclists or scooters is still in the single figures, I believe.

The number of deaths on roads & pavements in the UK over the last 5-10 years say, caused by motorists number well in to the 1,000s.

 

And then there's the ridiculous damage costs caused by motor vehicle accidents too.

Obviously you can't defend serious lawbreakers on bikes & scooters who really cause genuine issues (not just nothing-events that get some motorists a bit upset), but there are levels to this.

 

So - long story short - you can understand why police forces that have limited resources choose to focus on lawbreakers who cause serious injury, deaths and untold damage costs to the council/insurers/public etc. and make it more of a priority than policing lawbreakers who barely register on any of those metrics, right?

Edited October 13, 2020 by AndrewC

[bassett one 449]

so the 4 wheel scooter that i saw ,it must be insured,taxed ect by law ,to go on the road,footpath,yet this person ignored a red light,surely there must be  a law for scooters?whats the alchol rule on these scooters as well?

[jackanne 10]

Only a mobility scooter which is class 3 and can do 8 mph can be used on roads,anything smaller can only be on pavement.You do not need road tax or insurance for a mobility scooter.

[bassett one 449]

do you need road tax or insurance if its class 3 or is it the same as a bike with no engine?

[RollingJ 1,999]

You do not need insurance, although sensible users will have at least 3rd party, and 'road tax' is free.

[ads36 214]

(no such thing as Road tax)

 

VED is practically optional.

 

we just bought a new (2nd hand) car, it's a big, fast, petrol guzzling estate.

 

£30/year.