Powered wheelchair and scooter drivers could be made to buy compulsory third-party insurance in the near future, a leading practitioner has said.

Research commissioned by the Department for Transport has made 20 recommendations regarding the safety and legislation involving Class 2 and Class 3 powered wheelchairs and scooters, following a consultation that lasted two years.

Phil Brunton, mobility manager at Alexander Forbes Mobility Risk Services, said although the research was only a consultative document there were sufficient numbers of people that wished to make third-party insurance mandatory. “It will now be up to the DfT to pursue some of the recommendations and listen to lobbyists,” he said. “There are parties out there that believe these recommendations to be discriminatory but they are in the minority - this is likely to go ahead in the near future.”

Mr Brunton dismissed the idea that cyclists will also be forced to buy mandatory third-party insurance. “This is a slightly different area; household policies don’t often provide public liability cover for mechanically propelled vehicles outside of the house, while bicycles will tend to be covered.”

TAG: world disability news

A Lifeline service for disabled shoppers yesterday appealed for help to find a missing wheelchair.

It was borrowed from the Buchan Dial-a-Community Bus Shopmobility unit at Peterhead on Saturday morning, but has not been returned.

Yesterday, staff at the Maiden Street service urged whoever has the chair to hand it back on a no-questions-asked basis.

Helen Willis, who helps coordinate the service, said: “The wheelchair was probably borrowed in good faith, but unfortunately the recipient failed to return it at the end of the morning.

“There is probably a good reason for this. We will ask no questions as we just would like it to be returned.” She added: “Being short of a wheelchair may mean that someone with a real need will have to be turned away.

“We undertake a lot of fundraising, but to replace a wheelchair would be a huge expense to us.” The Shopmobility scheme was re-launched at Peterhead by the Buchan Dial-a-Community Bus service in 2004.

The scheme had been scrapped two years earlier after problems finding volunteers.

TAG: world disability news