Mobility Scooter Safety 101
Mobility scooters are, for all intents and purposes, safe. After all, they are built to ensure the safety of individuals who have difficulty walking or who are unable to get around at all. When a person uses a mobility scooter on a regular basis, they learn how to operate it properly so they can stay as safe as possible. But what happens when you rent a mobility scooter in Orlando for your vacation? Can you simply sit down on it and feel secure enough to ride it throughout the city, theme parks, and any restaurants you might like to visit?
When you’re renting a mobility scooter, you may need a little extra information to ensure you are safe and secure when riding it. Here are a few tips you should consider before you begin your vacation.
Safety When You Rent a Mobility Scooter in Orlando
- Visibility- Pay close attention to your surroundings whenever you are driving a mobility scooter. These handicap-accessible chairs ride low to the ground, and while they help you get from point A to point B, cars may find them difficult to see. By paying attention when you’re in a parking lot, on the street, or among a crowd of people, you can be sure you are as safe as possible.
- Terrain- Choosing a mobility scooter rental isn’t as simple as just picking out one that you think looks nice. You need to consider how it will be used. Are you planning on only using it around the hotel or when you visit restaurants? If so, you would be safe using a three-wheel scooter. If, however, you plan on going down a sidewalk, visiting a theme park, or rolling over the occasional patch of grass, you’re going to need a four-wheel scooter. They are much safer to ride on rough terrain and have the right support to prevent you from tipping over.
- Body-Positioning- To stay as safe as possible, always make sure all of your hands, feet, and limbs are fully contained within the space of the mobility scooter. If you have a weakened leg or arm that could drop to the side, use accessories like leg and foot huggers and arm support to keep them in place. This ensures you don’t get hurt while enjoying your time in Orlando.
- Essential Accessories- Do you need to carry your cane, walker, or oxygen canister with you while you go from place to place? Don’t carry these items in your lap; you may accidentally knock over fragile items, hit pedestrians as they pass by, or even have trouble getting through narrow doorways. Instead, purchase or rent special mobility aids that can help you carry these items safely.
- The Ride- In most areas, people on mobility scooters are considered to be pedestrians. What this means is you should be on the sidewalk, not the road. Unless there’s no way around it, always keep your scooter away from traffic on the sidewalk.
When you rent a mobility scooter in Orlando, you may not know what you need to in order to remain safe. Consider these tips and rent with confidence.
Renting an Orlando Vacation Home? Here’s How to Ensure it’s Scooter-Friendly
So, it’s your annual trip to Orlando, and you can’t wait to begin enjoying the sun. You’ve arranged for your Orlando scooter rental already, but you’re not sure yet where you want to stay. A hotel is always an option, but it can become boring in a “been there, done that” kind of way. You’ve been contemplating the possibility of a vacation home, but you’re not sure a rental will offer the electric scooter-friendly atmosphere you need.
Luckily, Florida is a state that is happily caters to mobility-challenged and disabled travelers. It offer plenty of transportation options, scooter-friendly restaurants and theme parks, and even vacation homes that are easily accessible and ADA compliant. You just have to know how to find them.
Choosing an Electric-Scooter Friendly Vacation Home
Finding a vacation home that will provide you with all the amenities of living in a home while catering to your unique physical needs isn’t always easy. Here are a few tips to make it happen.
- Talk to a Realtor- While there are numerous online sites that can help you find vacation homes in Florida, it’s sometimes best to speak to actual person who is knowledgeable about the local real estate. Florida real estate agents can not only help you find a home that is close to shopping, theme parks, and restaurants, but they will be able to find a home that is accessible to your Orlando scooter rental. They’ll also be able to easily assess your wants and needs and find a home that gives you everything you want.
- Make Sure it’s ADA Compliant- ADA, or the Americans with Disability Act, compliant means that a home has several features that make it accessible to those with disabilities- especially those with electric scooters or wheel chairs. Homes that are ADA compliant will have accessible parking close to the home, larger entryways and doorways throughout the home so that your electric scooter can easily maneuver through it, and elevator or stair lifts if the home has a second floor. The home will also have amenities in the bathroom, kitchen, and living room, such as lower countertops and handle grips for transferring from the scooter to the toilet.
- Don’t be Fooled- If you don’t want to speak to a realtor and instead choose to search online for a home that will accommodate your Orlando scooter rental, don’t be fooled into thinking that every home that is listed as disabled-friendly is actually that. Some individuals who rent their homes out will state this simply because the home is one-story. This doesn’t mean it’s ADA compliant. Have a friend or family member stop by and evaluate the state of the home before you rent it if you aren’t able to do so.
Are you thinking of staying in a vacation home instead of a hotel when you visit Orlando? If you have to rely on an electric scooter to get around, make sure the home will have the right amenities and space to accommodate you. This will ensure you are able to truly enjoy your Orlando vacation.
Need to Take a Car or Cab? Dissembling Your Scooter Easily so it Fits in the Trunk
There are many ways to get around Orlando, Florida when you’re on vacation when you’re traveling via scooter. Florida is very scooter-friendly and offers a number transportation options to choose from, like public busses with hydraulic lifts and the Amtrak. Theme parks like Disney World even accommodate your scooter rental in Florida, with options like their monorails, shuttle busses, and watercraft.
Sometimes, however, you may not want to take advantage of these options, especially if you aren’t travelling far from your hotel. You may instead want to take a car or a cab. While you may not be able to get into a car with your scooter, scooter rentals in Florida can easily be disassembled (and re-assembled) so they can fit into any trunk. This convenience allows you to take your mobility scooter with you wherever you might want to go.
Disassembling Your Scooter Rental in Florida
While it is easy to break down and store mobility scooters for transport in a car or cab, the specific way each brand or model is disassembled with vary. Because of this, you will want to take the time to speak to the individual delivering the rental and have them show you exactly how your scooter can be disassembled. This generally does not take long and it will save you time in the long run if you know what you’re doing. In most cases, as well, disassembly requires little to no tools.
Although each scooter is different, the majority of mobility scooters can be disassembled with the following steps.
- Turn the power off and remove the key from the mobility scooter. This is essential as the key may break when you are disassembling the scooter if it is not removed first.
- Lift the seat off of its post, and if possible, fold the seat down. Some scooters may require you to fold the seat down first before lifting it straight up and off.
- If the mobility scooter rental came with a basket, remove it.
- Take the battery pack off carefully by disconnecting the cables and lifting the battery carefully.
- If the scooter has a connector, generally located at the back of the scooter, use it. This will allow you to separate the body of the scooter into different sections.
- After you have completed everything, lower the tiller and make sure it has been locked into place. The tiller is the steering column at the front of the mobility scooter where the speed controls and forward/reverse directional switches are located.
It’s as simple as that! Remember, your mobility scooter may require more work or even less. However, the process is quite easy and fast, and it will allow you to place the scooter in a trunk or even in the seat of a car because it is separated into a few different pieces. When you need to ride your scooter rental in Florida again, just reverse the steps and put all the pieces back together, making sure they are securely in place.
