Disabled Scooters

Introduction
For many individuals with mobility disabilities, a disabled scooter is an attractive alternative to a manual or powered wheelchair. Small sit-down motor scooters provide important advantages to people with mobility problems throughout the world. Also, swivelling the seat of an electric scooter is generally easier than moving the foot supports on most conventional wheelchairs. A mobility scooter is very helpful for persons with systemic or whole-body disabling conditions.

Scooter Features and Components
Electric wheelchairs and Mobility scooters all share a recognisable set of features. Each has a seat at the rear of a wheeled platform, with controls and sometimes handrest on a column in front of the seat, called the tiller. The wheeled platform is the base unit. It supports the feet and batteries and contains the drive system. Scooters can have either front- or rear-wheel drive, and most have either four wheels or three (two in back, one in front).

Base Unit
The base unit is the body of the scooter. Generally it consists of a steel, aluminium, or composite frame with a fibreglass or composite floor to support the feet and batteries. Some scooter bases include a shroud over the front wheel and drive head, giving the scooter a bullet-shaped appearance. The base also includes the wheels and the drive train. In some scooters, the seat post is part of the base. The scooter’s manoeuvrability and its suitability for indoor or outdoor use largely depend on the characteristics of the base unit such as its turning radius, the size of its wheelbase, its ground clearance, and its overall dimensions. The base unit also affects the comfort and safety of the rider. When evaluating a scooter, it is important to be certain that the base can accommodate the user's needs. The floor should provide enough space to comfortably support the feet at a natural angle, and the overall dimensions should permit the controls to be easily reached and manipulated.

Drive
The drive train is an integral part of the base unit and provides either front- or rear-wheel drive for the scooter. Front-wheel drive is usually found on smaller scooters designed primarily to be used indoors or outdoors on flat, paved surfaces. The motor of the front-wheel drive scooter is located over the front wheel and drives only that wheel. Because of the motor and wheel configuration, front-wheel drive scooters are usually direct-drive units, eliminating chains and belts.

Road Worthy Disabled Scooters - The Facts

One of the news stories that has dominated all of the news pages recently, and might I add all over the world, is that of 90 year old Stanley Murphy on his scooter. Poor old Stan was found driving down the A27 on his Disabled Scooter doing around 8 mph in lane 1. He was later flagged down by a motorist and found that he 'took a wrong turn on the way to buy a newspaper'. It was a luck escape and highlights the need for awareness of the mobility scooter. Read more about this in this news article.

8mph Luxury Scooters

Disabled Scooters fit into one of four categories; portable scooters that are designed for quick use and being transported around, Pavement Scooters are more robust than the portable scooters and are designed for frequent use. Luxury Scooters come with far more features and designed to have a little bit extra and Heavy Duty Scooters that are suitable for prolonged use or carrying more weight.

Each of the different categories of scooter have features associated with them. Most notable is the speed that they are able to travel at. Portable and Pavement scooters require the scooter to travel at a maximum speed of 4mph. This is for obvious safety reasons and so that the user does not pose a danger to anyone on the pavement.

Luxury and Heavy Duty Scooters however, come with a switch that allows them to travel from 4 to 8 mph and therefore on the road. There are of course legal requirements for driving on the road, such as headlights, break lights and indicators. This also requires the user to be proficient in the highway code and of course not allowed on the motorway as in the article above!

For more information on the legal aspects of Disabled Scooters, read this page or Mobility Buddy's guide to Choosing Disabled Scooters.

New Luxury Scooters

With the weather warming up for Spring and the snow melting, we can look forward to the sunshine and getting out and about. That's why Mobility Buddy have introduced some exciting new Disabled Scooters to the range, from Kymco and TGA.

The Kymco Maxi is a fantastic luxury scooter designed for road and pavement use. It comes equipped with adaptive suspension providing great comfort and reliability, whilst taking the driver around for up to 25 miles. A must for anyone wanting to get around in comfort both on the road and around the shops.

Probably the most advanced and comfortable scooter around at the moment is the truly magnificent TGA Breeze 4 heavy duty scooter. Boasting features such as integrated electronics, active adjustable suspension and large leather seat, this scooter is suitable for all conditions and is strong enough to cope with a variety of different road conditions. A must for everyday use and flexibility and stable enough whilst on the road at 8 mph.

Remember a disabled scooter comes in a variety of different models and categories so if you are needing to drive on the road, make sure you have the scooter that is designed to do so!

Find out about our other new additions to the Disabled Scooters range at www.MobilityBuddy.co.uk