Mobility power chairs are perfectly safe to use.  As with any motorized equipment, however, safety precautions should be followed at all times.  The biggest danger from using a mobility power chair comes from the “driver” not the power chair.  Take time to read the owner’s manual when you purchase a mobility power chair to ensure your safety and the safety of those around you.                               

First, when using a mobility power chair outdoors, it is essential that you are well equipped to operate the chair.  You need arm and hand skill to maneuver the levers, both the accelerator and the brake.  You depth perception and peripheral vision skills are also necessary for judging braking distance and looking for any potential obstacle.

Mobility power chairs are safe to use if you try to avoid areas with heavy traffic.  You should have a day-glo orange pole and flag attached to the rear of the mobility power chair for better visibility.  Never come from between parked cars.  Stay on sideways and watch for pedestrians and other vehicles.

Other manufacturer tips include never going faster than ten miles per hour, go even slower in crowds.  Never brake on a hill as that may cause the unit to become unbalanced heightening the tipping risk.  Install rear view mirrors and use them.  If you cannot turn your neck to check both ways for traffic, you should not be using a mobility power chair.

Remember that in a mobility power chair, you are not a pedestrian.  You are now another driver and you have to yield to other traffic and to pedestrians!  A few users have been killed while riding their power chair because they felt they owned the road and failed to stop at intersections.  You must always stop and check for traffic.

Provide routine maintenance for your mobility power chair.  You should have the wheels checked and lubricated regularly.  Brakes, motor components, and gears are all necessary parts that can fail with regular use.  It is essential to maintain your chair for both safety concerns and product life.

Do not exceed the weight limit for your chair.  It can cause damage to the motor that can be a fire hazard.  If you exceed the weight limit, you can also ruin the motor necessitating the need for a new mobility power chair.  This mistake is both costly and simple to avoid.

Following a few common sense rules is all it takes to ensure your mobility power chair is safe to use.  It’s that simple.