Campaigners warn about “overlooked” mobility scooter users in national pothole debate
Mobility scooter users are being overlooked in the national debate around potholes despite facing an increased risk of injury, loss of confidence and reduced independence as a result of poor road and pavement conditions, road safety and mobility organisations have warned.
While much of the national conversation focuses on vehicle damage, repair bills and compensation claims, the Safer Mobility Campaign and the Pothole Partnership say poor road and pavement maintenance poses a far more serious risk to vulnerable road users, including mobility scooter users, cyclists and motorcyclists.
The organisations are calling for mobility scooter users to be explicitly considered in national discussions around potholes, infrastructure standards and long-term road repair policies.
With an estimated 750,000 mobility scooters currently in use across the UK, and numbers expected to rise as the population ages, the organisations say potholes and poor surface conditions should be recognised not only as a vehicle issue, but as a road safety, accessibility and equality issue.
Evidence gathered through the Safer Mobility Campaign highlights the role surface defects can play in mobility scooter incidents.
Surewise shared 1,638 insurance claims relating to travel and movement incidents with researchers at Nottingham Trent University. Of these, 120 involved potholes, around seven per cent, highlighting the role poor road and pavement surfaces can play in mobility scooter loss-of-control incidents.
The findings are reflected in the experiences of mobility scooter users across the country. In March this year, 88-year-old Pat Lowe, from Gloucestershire, became trapped underneath her mobility scooter after it toppled into a pothole, suffering what she described as a “dangerous, horrible wound”.
Richard Hannan, Director of Surewise, said: “For many people, a pothole is an inconvenience. For a mobility scooter user, it can be life-changing. When national conversations focus purely on damaged vehicles and compensation claims, we risk overlooking the human cost of poor infrastructure.
“A damaged car can usually be repaired or replaced. But for an older or disabled person using a mobility scooter, a pothole can result in death, serious injury, a permanent loss of confidence or even the loss of independence altogether.
“If infrastructure is unsafe for mobility scooter users, then it is not truly accessible infrastructure.”
Under UK law, Class 2 mobility scooters are permitted on pavements at speeds of up to 4mph, while Class 3 scooters can travel legally on roads at up to 8mph, as well as on pavements at reduced speed.
This leaves users directly exposed to cracked pavements, damaged dropped kerbs, deep potholes, poor temporary reinstatements and edge deterioration near carriageways.
A pothole, raised slab or damaged kerb edge can cause tipping, sudden jolting leading to loss of steering control, and users being forced into the carriageway.
The Pothole Partnership continues to campaign for better long-term road maintenance standards, including five-year warranties on pothole repairs to tackle repeat failures and improve accountability.
Edmund King, President of The AA, said: “Poor road and pavement maintenance does not just damage vehicles, it can have devastating consequences for vulnerable road users.
“Mobility scooter users are too often overlooked in the pothole debate despite being among those most affected by deteriorating infrastructure.
“Improving repair quality, accountability and long-term maintenance standards would directly benefit some of the UK’s most vulnerable road users, including mobility scooter users, cyclists and motorcyclists.”
Department for Transport road casualty data shows that 12 people were killed and 323 people were injured in collisions involving mobility scooters in 2024.
However, the organisations warn the true scale is likely far higher, as many falls and loss-of-control incidents linked to surface defects go unreported, particularly where no other vehicle is involved.
Professor Duncan Guest, Head of Psychology at Nottingham Trent University and a Safer Mobility Campaign partner, is leading a research study into the lived experiences of mobility scooter users.
He said: “Cars damaged by potholes can be repaired or replaced. But for a mobility scooter user, hitting a pothole or uneven surface can result in death or serious injury, permanent loss of confidence, reduced independence or social isolation.
“Our research is helping build a clearer picture of the everyday challenges mobility scooter users face, and infrastructure repeatedly emerges as a significant concern. Unlike pedestrians, mobility scooter users cannot simply step around hazards or choose a safer route.”
The Safer Mobility Campaign is helping build the evidence base around mobility scooter safety alongside Nottingham Trent University and road safety partners across the UK.
The campaign is also supporting a three-year Road Safety Trust-funded research project led by Nottingham Trent University, which will develop a “near miss” reporting app allowing mobility scooter and powerchair users to log hazards and incidents.
According to data released by insurance intermediary Surewise, as more people rely on mobility scooters for independence, risks on the road have grown but have not been matched by targeted safety measures.
