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| Senior woman at the seaside on mobility scooter |
Mobility scooters used
by thousands of elderly and immobile people in the Netherlands are not safe
enough and need urgent action to meet tougher standards, according to road
safety researchers.
Dozens of people are killed every year in accidents
involving mobility scooters. In total 38 mobility scooter users were killed in
2016 and 1,600 were taken to hospital after accidents.
The road safety
scientific research foundation (SWOV) has now researched 35 serious accidents
involving the electric scooters. It
found that users who find themselves in dangerous situations tend to put
pressure on the accelerator rather than let it go when they need to brake.
The
technology is similar to that used by the electric wagons used to transport
children, known as the Stint. Stints have been banned from the Dutch roads
pending safety checks after a fatal accident at a level crossing.
The braking
system is not the only problem with the scooters, the SWOV says. The scooters
are not stable enough and are liable to tip on uneven roads or when they hit an
obstacle.
It also recommends bike lanes are made wider, and without raised
edges, to lessen the risk of accidents.
Safe
Transport minister Cora van
Nieuwenhuizen said in a reaction to the report that all mobility scooter users
should be able to trust that their vehicles are safe.
She said she is now in
talks with manufacturers about the SWOV recommendations.
Television consumers
show Kassa reported last month that one reason so many mobility scooter users
are killed may be due to the braking system.
Related Article:
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| Two Stints in action. Photo: Stintum.nl |
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