Record 16 mobility scooter users killed in crashes last year — prompting calls for tougher safety rules

MORE mobility scooter users were killed in crashes last year than ever before — prompting calls for tougher safety rules.

A record 16 died in fatal collisions in 2023 while 90 others were left seriously injured.

Figures from the Department for Transport show there were another 222 prangs where riders suffered minor injuries.

Failing to spot hazards was the most common cause followed by being blinded by the sun, disobeying traffic signs and losing control in bad weather.

The latest total figure of 328 injury crashes is more than double the 156 recorded in 2013, of which five resulted in death.

Among those who died recently was double amputee Mark Jackson, 61, whose scooter was involved in a car crash in Grantham, Lincs, in August.

And a woman in her 70s also fell to her death when her scooter went over the sea wall last summer in Dawlish, Devon.

London is the injury collision hotspot with 104 in the past five years, followed by 76 in the West Mids, 75 in Nottinghamshire, 72 in Lincolnshire and 60 in Sussex.

There are thought to be more than 300,000 mobility scooters on Britain’s streets.

But users do not need a licence, any insurance or a minimum level of eyesight to legally buy one.

Driving Mobility is supported by the Government in training sellers on carrying out driving safety assessments and issuing guidance to customers.

The Department for Transport said: “To ensure mobility scooter users remain safe, we have provided funding for a training scheme to educate users.”