DEAR Jasminda,
WHILE attending a car show on the weekend, I was almost ploughed down by a man on a mobility scooter.
He looked at me as though I was the one in the wrong, even though I was just minding my own business on the footpath.
What are the rules around mobility scooters and who has the right of way?
Kim S.
Dear Kim,
There is a certain poignancy about a mature-aged man on a mobility scooter at a car show full of hotted-up Porches and Corvettes, weaving through full-throttled enthusiasts in their jaunty caps and ‘Ride it Like You Stole It’ t-shirts.
Caught in the heady mix of exhaust fumes, testosterone, and hot chips, surrounded by rows of gleaming chassis, it’s easy to feel inadequate when you drive a beige Mazda CX5, so I can only imagine how it feels to roll in on the Pride 130XL Pathrider with 13-inch pneumatic tyres, padded armrests, and a 10km/hour speed limit.
May I suggest to you, Kim, that the man on the mobility scooter was not intentionally trying to mow you down, but simply got caught up in the enthusiasm.
Perhaps, against the backdrop of car horns and revving motors and conversations like, “Nice EH. Does it have the 179?” or ‘I’d kill for a Cobra replica with a 427,” the mobility scooter driver
was transformed. In his mind, he was no longer Albert with dodgy knees, but a man behind a wheel with Steppenwolf’s ‘Born to Be Wild’ lyrics running through his brain.
Caught up in the moment, it is conceivable he momentarily forgot the Service NSW rules including riding at walking speed on footpaths and a preparedness to stop for pedestrians.
I suspect that now the car show is a distant memory, Albert is sitting at home nursing his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and feeling a sense of regret about his lapse in judgement.
Alternatively, he is hotting up his vehicle, Googling ‘how do I remove the speed limit on my mobility scooter’, stealthily streamlining the bodywork, and adding a rear diffuser and spoiler.
He’s possibly also spraypainting it torch red in preparation for next year’s show.
If you attend again, have your wits about you, Kim.
Be ready to duck into a shopfront at a moment’s notice. Albert has been blooded.
Carpe diem,
Jasminda.
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