There are several skill-training courses for users of disability vehicles. No information is available about the effectiveness of these courses. What we do know is that older road users are a hard-to-reach target group when it comes to educational road safety measures [16].
Mobility scooters
There are several training courses for users of mobility scooters. Suppliers of mobility scooters often offer (their own) short courses. The courses mainly focus on basic operating skills (accelerating, braking, steering) and not on safe traffic participation. Occupational therapists also offer training courses [17] which are generally paid for by health insurers. The Dutch Traffic Safety Association (DTSA) also offers mostly free Mobility scooter refresher courses [18] which are held at different locations in the Netherlands. Some regional road safety institutions organise mobility scooter courses too, often based on the DTSA course. On the DTSA website, users of mobility scooter can find an online road safety test and practical advice for safe use of their vehicles [19]. The effectiveness of mobility scooter training courses is unknown.
Enclosed disability vehicle
Training courses for driving an enclosed disability vehicle (such as a Canta) are often equated with microcar courses. However, for driving an enclosed disability vehicle no driving licence is needed and regulations sometimes differ (also see the question What rules apply to using a mobility scooter, an enclosed disability vehicle or a microcar?). Yet, the operating mode of both vehicle types is similar.
Microcars
For driving a microcar a licence for four-wheeler mopeds (AM4) is required. Driving lessons are optional. The Dutch driving test organisation does however require drivers to pass a theoretical moped test and a practical microcar test. Regular driving schools offer driving skill courses. Their effectiveness is unknown. In addition, the book ‘Wegwijzer in het verkeer brommobiel’ (Traffic guide microcar) [20] is available at bookshops.
