Mobility scooters and enclosed disability vehicles
The present number of mobility scooters in the Netherlands is unknown, but the 2013 number was estimated at 150.000 to 250.000 [5] [6]. This estimate is based on the number of mobility scooters supplied under the Dutch Social Support Act, and previously under the Handicapped Facilities Act, and on assumptions about privately acquired mobility scooters (see Figure 1). Because of demographic changes, we expect the number of mobility scooters to have risen in recent years and to continue to rise in the years ahead. According to an OdiN mobility study [7] 157 million kilometres were travelled by mobility scooters or enclosed disability vehicles in 2019 and about 152 million kilometres in 2018. This is probably an underestimate, as older road users are not well-represented in the OdiN sample. Since the number of casualties among users of mobility scooters and enclosed disability vehicles increases (also see the question How many casualties are involved in crashes with mobility scooters, enclosed disability vehicles and microcars, and what is the risk? ), a better idea of (the development of) the number of these vehicles is needed.
Figure 1. Number of mobility scooters supplied by Dutch municipalities between 1999 and 2013, and estimates of the total number of mobility scooters in the Netherlands (1999-2013). Source: [5].
Microcars
According to Statistics Netherlands, over 18,000 microcars were registered on 1 January 2020; in 2013 there were over 21,000 (figure 2 [8]). Thus, the total number of microcars has passed its peak. It is unclear how many kilometres are travelled by microcar.
Figure 2. Number of registered microcars in the Netherlands, 2010-2020. Source: Statistics Netherlands Statline [8].
