It's the bits they don't tell you about, mother is amputee so there is no getting off the scooter to walk into a shop, if using the scooter it must go everywhere just like the wheel chair, so it seems must be limited to 4 MPH to be able to drive on the pavement. Insurance is on the house policy just in case she hits some one, there was a local case where old lady had to sell house to settle claim after hitting a shop assistance. However when I thought my mother was going to hit some one I stood in the way, it did not hurt me when it hit me, so how one can injure some one so much I don't know.
Although in theory you can drive on pavement in practice parked cars often stop that, so you have some one doing 4 MPH on the road.
They have no user operated brakes, the unit is retarded then braked once you release the control. However it can travel 12" even on lowest speed setting before the brakes come on, so more like driving a bumping car. The control has also been known to stick, with no independent brakes by time user realises it's not stopping, too late.
The Sterling Sapphire 2 was not a cheap scooter, at the time of buying it was the only one which would allow mothers leg which would not bend to rest on a foot rest, and could be taken to bits to load in a car. One plus point, mothers eyes are bad, and on the prom at Rhyl she though a line of different colour floor tiles was a pretty patten not a curb until last moment, when she did realise she gripped the brakes, however they were not brakes it was the accelerator, so at an angle, she shot off the curb without tipping or doing any harm to the scooter.
Going in the park with my late father, we found in the centre of the circular walk there was a kissing gate, since it could be easy dismantle and re-built I was able to re-build it the other side of the gate, it seems there should have been a RADAR key lock on the by-pass gate, but it had been changed for standard padlock.
There are some faster scooters, 8 MPH is still zero road tax, and some will do 20 MPH and look more like a tricycle than scooter, you need a licence for some of those, and clearly not allowed on the pavement without a disabled badge.
There seems to be some units which can be switched between 4 and 8 MPH, it is debatable if allowed on the pavement, there are capable of 8 MPH so it would seem even in 4 MPH mode are not allowed on pavement. However be it a push bike, or a parked car the pavement is used by vehicles able to exceed 4 MPH. I got stopped on a push bike for riding on the pavement, I pointed out from where I had come from there was a round blue sign showing a bike, which means I must ride the bike on the pavement, the policeman could fine me for riding on the road, it seems the council had failed to put up the end of cycle track sign. As a result of poor signs by county council it is a free for all, no one can be sure if you should ride a bike on road or pavement. At least in North Wales. You are allowed to ride the 8 MPH units on a cycle track, so the Police turn a blind eye to switch-able units ridden on the pavement. I will expect to find this varies area to area?
The scooter also has an over speed device, should it over speed even with the unit set in free wheel the brakes come on. I have had it stop in middle of the road, when I said to mother hurry up, it resulted in reverse. It also engages with the winch when I pull in into my car. Same is true for electric wheel chair, winch is too fast.
I have never had the batteries fail on me, should have a 20 mile range, and since I need to walk with my mother we have never gone 20 miles, it's too fast to walk with, and too slow to ride a bike with. Now around 14 years old not looked after, still original batteries.
