Scooters / Electric Mobility Information

Easy Rider? I don’t think so!
Remember that film? Peter Fonda on his Harley-Davidson with dark glasses, no helmet and the wind in his hair, cruising down the highway able to go wherever and whenever he pleased? That is pretty much the sense of freedom felt by the new owner of an electric scooter who has suddenly been liberated from limited mobility and is again able to visit friends, shops, the library, the club and the esplanade or park. No more ringing friends and relatives to cadge a lift. No more deciding not to ring, in case it becomes a burden. That is what the electric scooter delivers – freedom.

Is a scooter a road vehicle?
This is where Easy Rider ends and reality begins. Essentially, it is a pedestrian controlled vehicle – not a car or motorbike. It is the successor to the old invalid carriages that were propelled and steered with a hand crank like a pair of pedals and they are covered by the same rules of operation. Just as the old chairs were confined to the pavement and had to obey the rules governing pedestrians, so the electric scooter rider essentially has to behave like a pedestrian and share the walkway. This includes using pedestrian crossings. So – no more Easy Rider where there are pedestrian facilities. Don’t forget that the scooters are practically silent and running one up the back of someone’s leg will cause a lot more damage than a shopping trolley or baby pram!

When there is no pavement, the scooter, like a pedestrian, uses the road. This can be where the trouble starts! Most of us are, or were drivers. Once again upon the highway and all the old instincts come back – great for the Highway Code – not so hot for the other road users. It can become very attractive to regularly use the road to get away from those slow, erratic, walking, pram pushing pavement hazards. Most scooters are limited to 8 km/hr – not a real contender in a 60 km/hr zone. The average driver, whether in a car or a truck, has an immediate recognition and instinctive reaction to situations involving vehicles and pedestrians with which they are familiar. They are imprinted and expected. To have a scooter suddenly dodge out of a line of parked cars or swing across to the right-hand lane to turn right at the lights, can give even an alert driver a nasty turn. Fortunately, there are very few cases of serious accidents involving scooters, but every scooter should be insured – just in case! AustralCare’s staff can recommend inexpensive cover from a reliable company.

It’s not a Harley – so what is it?
The modern electric scooter has been made possible by advances in technology – specifically in the areas of electric motors (converting electricity to power very efficiently), storage batteries (quick charging, high capacity and steady discharge rates), and the electronic units that manage the whole operation as efficiently as possible.

How can you help? Be kind to your machine. Although it is virtually service-free, you should:-

Be kind to yourself
You have a scooter because you are not as young / strong / flexible / agile / resilient (select as appropriate) as you used to be. Stay well by:-

What about the supplier?
AustralCare staff take their duty of care very seriously. They assess the customer’s performance on the scooter (sometimes also in the home) and will only sell to a customer who appears to operate it competently.

Recapture that social life, but drive safely!