I HAVE RUN OVER my foot and my sister Judy’s foot. I have tipped over in my electric cart outside my house because I carelessly rode over a rounded curb. I sometimes use my cell phone when I travel outside on secluded sidewalks. I’ve also been known to drink (coffee) and drive, too. Although I do these little electric cart transgressions, I take very seriously using my electric cart safely. I try to pay attention to my surroundings and any pedestrian traffic; I slow down when I am in a busy area. Safety is an important issue when you are using a manual or power wheelchair or electric scooter.
Sometimes, when I am at a social event or in a grocery store line, walkers often tailgate me. I remind them that in order to go forward, I often need to back up to gain momentum. “Please back up. I need to back up to turn in now.” When I am in a grocery store using one of the store’s scooters with a basket, I sometimes tell people who are standing in the middle of an aisle, “I am going to pass you to get over there.” I smile but make my intentions very clear.
When I drive inside buildings, I try to follow basic, common driving procedures: I always drive my cart on the right side of the corridor; I check both ways before I cross or make a turn in a corridor; I use any indoor back-up mirrors that are placed in elevators or hidden corners before I move; I use a sensible speed when I ride; I make it a point to tell people when I am passing them in the corridor (“I’m coming on your left side, just so you know!”). A wheelchair or motorized cart is an extension of the user’s body, and it is a device that needs to be run safely. I think the basic practice of traveling on the right side of the indoor road is very important to do. It is similar to restaurant signs on their kitchen doors, “out” and “in.”
There are safety guidelines for using wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs, or scooters inside or outside a building. I found many items on wheelchair courtesy—but that related to how we speak to a person using a wheelchair or electric cart. Basic guidelines for that area include not touching the wheelchair unless asked to push it, talking to the person seated by meeting them at their eye level after about four minutes of conversation, and basically not to shout at the person in a wheelchair. For some reason, people often speak very loudly to a person using a wheelchair, speak to their companion, or speak as if the person in the chair were very sick or had mental illness.
Years ago, when I first started using an electric cart, an occupational therapist friend of mine shared some great advice: “People who use wheelchairs or scooters need to remember that just like in outdoor traffic with automobiles, the pedestrian has the right of way. Persons using electronic devices need to be courteous and careful for those walking without these devices.”
There exists the online Power-Mobility Indoor Driving Assessment Manual (PIDA). This is a basic inventory of skills needed to operate devices safely for both the operator and others around. The drivers are evaluated by an occupational therapist and/or a physical therapist, but just reading it can be helpful to anyone who uses a mobility device—and their family and friends.
Indoor test
Task one: Transfer out of and into mobility device
Task two: Mobility device components (can demonstrate successful use of wheel locks, brakes, seat locks, seat belts, footrests, etc.)
Task three: Control operation (can adjust steering controls, forward and reverse functions, raise or lower speed, demonstrate left and right direction, connect and disengage the battery)
Task four: Drive in a corridor (moves through a corridor, moves with pedestrians, stays straight, avoids obstacles, stops or slows at intersections, stops immediately on command)
Task five: Controlled turning (adjusts speed for maneuvering, turns through doorway, turns around 180 degrees to the right/clockwise, turns 180 degrees to the left/counterclockwise)
Task six: Turn around with backing maneuver (initiates turn by driving forward, avoids hitting the wall, looks behind or uses a mirror during the backing, proceeds in opposite direction)
Task seven: Maneuvering in a congested area (stays at the speed of pedestrians, does not tailgate pedestrians, passes pedestrians in a close area, yields to the person or passes on left, gives right of way to pedestrians or other scooters, does not stop too close to a pedestrian)
Task eight: Maneuvering in a tight area (maneuvers through safely; avoids contact with stationery object; positions mobility device next to toilet, dresser, etc.; exits area without contacting stationery items)
Task nine: Approach/depart table (approaches the table, positions scooter/ device at table without contacting other chairs or obstacles, turns off device before eating, no collision with table or people, moves away from table)
Task ten: Operate door that pulls open (positions device to pull/open door, backs up holding door open)
Task eleven: Operate door that pushes open (does not ram door, presses door open slowly, uses correct push angle)
Task twelve: Operate fire door with release bar (uses one hand to release door, does not ram the door, presses door open slowly, uses correct pushing angle)
Task thirteen: Operate switch-activated automatic door (positions mobility device to activate door, drives through door without hitting wall, able to activate automatic door from the outside door opener and get into the building without hitting door or wall)
Outdoor test
Task one: Negotiate sidewalk environment
Task two: Negotiate street-crossing environment
If a person fails the test, they are given more training and can test again. Just like driving a car, there are basic skills needed for everyone’s safety. Driving a wheelchair or cart demands cognitive skills, too, such as decision making, quick judgments, depth perception, and common sense.
Persons using mobility devices need to be careful drivers. Their health and lives, as well as those of their friends (pedestrians), deserve a safe and secure environment. Just like driving a car, motorized devices need to be run by drivers who possess the skills to operate them and with the courtesy they would want people to give them in their cars or carts.
Sister Karen Zielinski is the Director of Canticle Studio. Canticle Studio is a part of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, OH’s overall advancement effort and has a mission of being a creative center where artists generate works, products, and services in harmony with the mission of the Sisters St. Francis. She can be reached at kzielins@sistersosf.org or 419-824-3543. ✲
