I received an email the other day telling me about a public consultation on proposed changes to the laws governing powered mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs. If you use one you really need to read this statement by the Minister of State for Transport, after reading this I'm hoping he has not been re elected!
There are two things that concern me about the proposals:
UPDATE - due to the formation of a new government the content on the department for Transport site is under review so the proposal can be read here
- Insurance and Registration of Vehicles (even his terminology winds me up) - who is going to pay for this? I certainly won't be! My powerchair gives me independence, it gives me the choice to move where I want to go, do what I want to do and when I choose to do it, something that the Minister of State for Transport probably takes for granted. He does not need a licence to walk, my powerchair enables me to 'walk'. In addition to this I bet he has a bike - does he have insurance and a licence for that?
- Fitness to drive assessment - what can I say? No way - I'm not having an assessment, I hold a full driving licence, I'm licenced to drive at 70mph on a motorway. This reminds me of the ridiculousness (is that a word?) of me having to sit a basic Maths test to qualify as a MATHEMATICS teacher when I already had a Mathematics degree and was trained to teach Mathematics to A Level! Also, even though a bike is a form of transport and a powerchair is a mode of independent movement for someone with a physical disability so I really don't want to compare the two, you can ride a bike at a far greater speed than 8mph WITHOUT A LICENCE!
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