Mobility scooters are three- or four-wheeled vehicles, powered by an electric engine. Often acquired by the elderly population, they neither require a drivers' license, nor an assessment of operator skills prior to use. Other vehicles used primarily by older people are powered wheelchairs and electric bicycles. Comparable to regular bicycles or scooters, similar traffic rules apply for mobility scooters, wheelchairs and electric bicycles. Users experience improved quality of life; however studies report accident rates of up to 21%. The use of helmets is known to decrease rates of traumatic brain injury in accidents involving motorcycles, regular bicycles and regular scooters, and it may thus be important to consider helmet legislation in the case of mobility vehicles used by the elderly population. In this short narrative review, the authors examined current literature surrounding accidents and injury, with focus on traumatic brain injury, in relation to mobility scooters. The aim was to shed light on whether there might be a case for mandatory helmet use for drivers of mobility scooters-as seen with motorbikes. Although data sets are small, there appears to be a heightened risk of accidents and injury, including traumatic brain injury, among users of mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs. The authors recommend specific national data registration regarding accidents involving mobility scooters. We would endorse mandatory helmet use, a pre-purchase user assessment and specific prescriber training, so as to minimize the risk of accidents involving mobility scooter users. (Author/publisher)
Abstract