Crackdown on Speeding Scooters

15 Oct 2012: Recently A Current Affair segment was about a crackdown on pensioners speeding in their mobile scooters.

I don't watch much TV, and when I saw this I felt that A Current Affair were really scraping the bottom of the barrel to find this story.

The story went on to discuss how a ‘spate of serious injuries has led to calls for uniform speed limits for motorised scooters and harsh penalties for breaking them. But as nursing homes ban usage indoors and shopping centres review their policies, is it fair cop or a step too far?'

I do believe that anyone in a motorised or manual wheelchair needs to mindful of those around them but people walking around need to watch where they are going also. I can't tell you the amount of times I have stopped stationary and still had people walk into me. It is very frustrating.

I do agree that the scooters should all have a ‘safe' maximum speed limit and that they can still be used in shopping centres and nursing homes providing the user is cognitive enough to care about those around them.

The introduction of ‘harsh penalties' sounds interesting. I wonder what penalties they can give a poor pensioner – a fine they can't pay? Throw them in gaol? They turn their scooter off and take away their key? They dump them on the floor there and then and tell them to walk or crawl?

I don't think anyone has a right to take away someone's mobility, just like we can't stop crazy walkers!

Link to view story: http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8543567