Civilians are breaking the law without them even knowing about it, most prominently in this English county. Cornwall is stationed at the southwestern tip of England, and is home to dozens of mobility scooter owners.
Unfortunately, there's a seemingly rising amount of mobility scooter-related accidents in Cornwall. According to CornwallLive, there are thousands of handicapped or elderly people who are breaking the law by driving their mobility scooters where it shouldn't be.
Mobility scooter users reportedly hold up traffic in certain roads that don't allow these types of vehicles to be in. CareCo Managing Director William Harrison explained that there's a common misconception that mobility scooters are allowed to be driven on cycle lanes or bus lanes.
However in reality, Harrison clarified that mobility scooters are "certainly not allowed" on both motorways and bus lanes as well. Research reveals that there are around a quarter of mobility scooter users who are riding these on roads, regardless of breaking the law.
According to Express&Echo, many civilians feel safer on roads than being among pedestrians, since there are less accidents on the roads. If this is the case, then mobility scooter users would rather opt for road riding if pedestrian areas are deemed less safe compared to roads.
This in turn, gives dozens of disabled or elderly people to follow the same trend of using roads instead of sidewalks. Mobility scooter companies indicate that the lack of knowledge about the law regarding proper usage of these vehicles is to blame for users that are breaking the law with these motorized walking aids.
The Department for Transport states that only class 3 mobility scooters are allowed use the roads. Even with a class 3 mobility scooter, there are still certain restrictions that should be applied such as having front and rear lights and reflectors, an audible horn, a rear view mirror and so on.
The Highway Code should also be followed by class 3 mobility scooter users and they're still not allowed on "cycle only" lanes and bus lanes. As for class 2 mobility scooters, going on the road means breaking the law, as it's not allowed for these types of vehicles to use the roads or pavement.
