Mobility scooters and Powered wheelchairs on the road: Some guidance for users

Dono tremoveth i si fsend ingtoPageT i t le

Mob i l i t ys coo te r sandpowe red whee l cha i r sontheroad-some gu idan cefo ru se r s

Ma r ch 2015

TheDepa r tmen tfo rT ranspo r thasac t i ve l ycons ide redtheneedso fb l indand pa r t ia l l ys igh tedpeop le inaccess ingth i sdocumen t .Thetex tw i l lbe made ava i lab leinfu l lontheDepa r tmen t ’ swebs i te .Thetex t maybef ree l y down loadedandt rans la tedby ind i v idua l so ro rgan i sa t ionsfo rconve r s ionin to o the raccess ib lefo rma ts .I fyouhaveo the rneedsinth i srega rdp lea secon tac t theDepa r tmen t .

Depa r tmen tfo rT ranspo r t G rea tM ins te rHouse 33Ho r se fe r r yRoad LondonSW1P4DR Te lephone03003303000 Web s i te www .gov .uk/d f t Gene ra lenqu i r ies h t tp s : / / fo rms .d f t .gov .uk ŠC rowncopy r igh t2015 Copy r igh tinthetypog raph i ca la r rangemen tres tsw i ththeC rown .

You mayreuseth i sin fo rma t ion(no tinc lud ing logoso rth i rdpa r ty ma te r ia l )f ree o fcha rgeinanyfo rma to r med ium ,unde rthete rmso fthe Open Gove rnmen t L i cence .Tov iewth i sl i cence ,v i s i t www .na t iona la r ch i ves .gov .uk /doc /opengove rnmen tl i cence o rw r i teto theIn fo rma t ionPo l i cyTeam ,TheNa t iona lA r ch i ves ,Kew ,LondonTW94DU ,o r e -ma i l:ps i@na t iona la r ch i ves .g s i .gov .uk .

Whe rewehaveiden t i f iedanyth i rdpa r tycopy r igh tin fo rma t ionyouw i l lneedto ob ta inpe rm i ss ionf romthecopy r igh tho lde r sconce rned .

Con ten t s I n t roduc t ion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 Wha t i sa mob i l i tyveh ic le?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 Cananyoneusea mob i l i ty?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5 Whe recanIuse my mob i l i tyveh i c le?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5 CanItake myveh i c leonpub l i ct ranspor t? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5 DoIneedtoreg i s te rm y mob i l i tyveh i c le?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6 Shou ldIhaveinsu rance? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

6 Wha tfea tu resa relega lrequ i remen ts? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

7 TheU seofI nval idCa r r iagesonH ighway s(Amendmen t )(Eng landand Sco t land )Regu la t ions2015. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8 Wha tabou ttwope r sonveh i c les? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8 Choos ingther igh tveh i c le. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8 Wha tshou ldIdotop repa re my se l ffo rgo ingou ton myveh i c le?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Wha t ' ru leso ftheroad 'shou ldIfo l low?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

10 HowcanIkeep myveh i c leroadwo r thy?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11 Wha thappensi fIb rea kdown? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 U se fu lAdd resses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

13 AnnexA-Re fe rence Whee l cha i rd imens ion s .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

15 AnnexB-Con fede ra t iono fPassenge rT ranspo r t. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Vo lun ta r yCodeo fBes tP rac t i ce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16 AnnexC-Ex t rac tsf romtheH ighwayCode. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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In t rodu c t ion The Gove rnmen ti scomm i t tedtohe lp ingpeop lewhohave mob i l i tyd i f f i cu l t iesto ge ta round .Th i si ssotha tpeop lecanrema inac t i ve membe r so fthecommun i ty and ma in ta inthe i r independence .T rad i t iona l l y , mob i l i tyscoo te r sandpowe red whee l cha i r shavebeenusedbythosew i th mob i l i tyd i f f i cu l t ies ;asthepopu la t ion ages , mo ree lde r l ypeop lea rel i ke l ytouse mob i l i tyscoo te r s ,wh i cha re cons ide rab l y lessexpens i vethanpowe redwhee l cha i r s . Bo thp rov idea means o fge t t inga roundthene ighbou rhoodandto lo ca lshops ,fo rthoseunab leto wa l ko rhav ingd i f f i cu l t y inwa l k ing .

I ti sessen t ia ltha tuse r sa reab letokeepthemse l vesando the rroaduse r so r pedes t r ianssa fe .Theycandoth i sbybe ingawa reo ftheroadru lesandus ing the i rveh i c lesrespons ib l yandsa fe l y . Thead v i ceinth i sdocumen ti sin tended tora i seawa renessamong s tthosewhouseo ra reth ink ingo fus inga mob i l i ty scoo te ro rpowe redwhee l cha i r .I trep lacesan yp rev iousadv i cei ssuedbythe Depa r tmen tfo rT ranspo r t . Fo reaseo fre fe rence mob i l i tyscoo te r sandpowe red whee l cha i r sa rere fe r redtoas mob i l i tyveh i c lesinth i sdocumen t .

Wha ti sa mob i l i tyveh i c le?

Manua landpowe redwhee l cha i r sand mob i l i tyscoo te r sa re med i ca ldev i cesfo r thosewhocanno twa l ko rwhohaved i f f i cu l tywa l k i ng .Inlawyouw i l ls t i l lf ind themca l led ' inva l idca r r iages ' .The rea reth reetypeso f ' inva l idca r r iage ' de f inedin 'TheU seo fInva l idCa r r iagesonH ighway sRegu la t ions1988 ' : •C lass1-manua lwhee l cha i rs,i .e .se l f p rope l ledo ra t tendan tp rope l led ,no t e lec t r i ca l l ypowe red ; •C lass2 -powe redwhee l cha i r sandmob i l i ty scoo te r s ,in tended fo rfoo tpa tho r pavemen tuseon l yw i tha max imumspeedl im i to f4 mph ; •C lass3 -powe redwhee l cha i r sandmob i l i ty scoo ter s ,fo ruseontheroad , w i tha max imumspeed l im i to f8 mphbu tw i ththefac i l i tytot rave la t4 mphon afoo t pa tho rpavemen t.

Someo the rtypeso fsma l le lec t r i ca l l ypowe redveh i c lessuchasgo l fbugg ies looks im i la rto mob i l i tyscoo te r s . Theya reno t ' inva l idca r r iages 'w i th inthe mean ingo fthe1988Regu la t ions .I t maybe i l lega ltousethem onthepub l i c h ighway .

Th i sdocumen tfocuse sonC lass2andC lass3veh i c les .

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Cananyoneu sea mob i l i ty?

Thelaws ta testha taC lass2andC lass3veh i c le mayon l ybeusedbya d i sab ledpe r son ,o rbyanond i sab ledpe r sonwhoi sdemons t ra t ingaveh i c le be fo resa le ,t ra in ingad i sab leduse ro rtak ingtheveh i c letoo rf romap lacefo r ma in tenanceo rrepa i r . Inadd i t ion ,aC lass3veh i c lecanon l ybeusedbya d i sab ledpe r sonaged14o rove r.Ad i sab ledpe r soninth i scon tex ti ssomeone w i thanin ju r y ,phy s i ca ld i sab i l i tyo r med i ca lcond i t ionwh i ch meanstha ttheya re unab letowa l ko rhaved i f f i cu l ty inwa l k ing .

Whe recanIu se my mob i l i tyveh i c le?

A l lveh ic lescanbeusedonfoo tpa ths ,pavemen ts ,b r id leway s ,andin pedes t r iana reasa ta max imumspeedo f4mph .C lass1and2veh i c lescanbe usedontheroad i fapavemen t i sno tava i lab le ,o rwhe rei ti snecessa r yto c rosstheroad .

C lass3veh i c lescanbeusedon mos troadsa ta max imumspeedo f8mph .

Theycanno tbeusedon mo to rway s ,inbuslanes(wheninope ra t ion )o r in "cy c leson l y "cy c lelanes .Theyshou ldno tbeusedondua lca r r iageway sw i tha speedl im i to fove r50 mph .I ftheya re ,youmus t haveanambe rf lash ing l igh t fo rsa fe tyreasons .I ti sadv i sab letha tyouhaveanambe rf lash ing l igh twhen usedona l lo the rdua lca r r iageway s.

CanIta ke myveh i c leonpub l i ct ran spo r t?

P rov idedthe rei sthespaceava i lab le ,youcant rave linyou rwhee l cha i r (whe the r manua lo rpowe red )onbusesandt ra ins ,so longasthoseveh i c les a recons t ruc tedo radap tedtoca r r ya' re fe ren ce ' whee l cha i r;andtha tyou r whee l cha i rf i tsw i th inthed imens ions.Busesa reres t r i c tedtoonewhee l cha i r space . Whe reanyo the rpassenge r sa reoccupy ingthewhee l cha i rspace ,the d r i ve rshou ldaskthemto movetoa l lowyoutoboa rd .P leasecons ide ro the r passenge r swhen manoeuv r ingon toabuso rt ra in . A' re fe rence ' whee l cha i r mus tcomp l yw i ththebas i cd imens ions se tou tinAnnex(A ) .

Fo rra i lt rave l ,insomecasesyou mus tbookaspaceont ra inswhe rethe rei s l im i tedwhee l cha i rspa cep rov i s ion ,soi t i sad v i sab letocon tac tthere levan tt ra in ope ra t ingcompany inadvancewhenp lann ingajou rney . Youshou ldaskthe t ra inope ra to rtocon f i rmtha tadequa teramp sw i l lbeava i lab lea tbo thendso f thejou rney .

Somesma l le rmode l so f mob i l i tyscoo te ra reaccep tedonsomepub l i ct ranspo r t veh i c les ,bu tyou mus tcon tac ttheloca lt ranspo r tope ra to rtocheck .I ti s 5

impo r tan ttoremembe rtha ta mob i l i tyscoo te r mayno thavethesamecapac i ty asawhee l cha i rto manoeuv rein toawhee l cha i rspace .

TheCon fede ra t iono fPassenge rT ranspo r thaspub l i shedanons ta tu to r y Vo lun ta r yCodeo fBes tP rac t i cefo rbusope ra to r srega rd ingtheuseand accep tanceo fC lass2 mob i l i tyscoo te r sonlowf loo rbusesadap tedtoca r r y whee l cha i r s . Mob i l i tyscoo te r scanno tbeca r r iedoncoachesf i t tedw i th ) . whee l cha i r l i f ts .(TheCodei sa tAnnex B A l lt ra inope ra t ingcompan iesw i l lca r ry l igh twe igh tfo lded mob i l i tyscoo te r sas luggage . Mo rede ta i l sonwhe the ro the rtype so fscoo te r scanbet ranspo r ted a rep rov idedby ind i v idua lt ra inope ra t ingcompan ies . Con tac tNa t iona lRa i l Enqu i r ies-www .nat iona l ra i l .co .uk(gotoIn fo rma t ionfo rD i sab ledPa ssenge r s ) o rTe l :08457484950 .

Inadd i t ion ,acomp rehens i veda tabaseo fsu i tab le mob i l i tyscoo te r mode l stha t canbeca r r iedonpub l i ct ranspo r ti snowava i lab lea t : h t tp : / / r i ca .o rg .uk /con ten t /scoo te r sandpowe redwhee l cha i r s Totakea mob i l i tyveh ic leinatax i ,theloca ltax icompanyshou ldbecon tac ted tocheckwhe the rthe i rtax i sa resu i tab letoca r ryyou rtypeo f mob i l i tyveh i c le .

DoIneedtoreg i s te r my mob i l i tyveh i c le?

Mob i l i tyveh i c les a reno tlega l l yde f inedas mo to rveh i c lesand ,the re fo re ,the use r i sno trequ i redtohavead r i v ing l i cenceo rtotakeates t .Theveh i c les themse l vesa reno tsub jec ttoVeh i c leEx c i seDu ty( ' roadtax ' ) .Howeve r ,bo th newandusedC lass3veh i c leshavetobereg i s te redannua l l yw i ththeD r i ve r andVeh i c leL i cens ingAgency(DVLA ) .Fu r the r in fo rma t ioncanbeob ta ined f romtheDVLACon tac tCen t re–Te l :03007906802.

Shou ldIha ve in su ran ce?

A l thoughi t i sno talega lrequ i remen t ,i ti ss t rong l yrecommendedtha tpeop le takeou tinsu rancetocove rpe r sona lsa fe ty ,o the rpeop le ' ssa fe tyandtheva lue o ftheveh i c le .I tw i l lbeimpo r tan ttocheckwhe the rhouseho ldinsu rance p rov idescove rtouseaveh i c leonthepub l i ch ighway ,andwhe the ryou r househo ld insu rancecove r ss to rageo rpa r k ingfo ryou rveh i c lea thome .

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Wha t fea tu re sa re lega lrequ i remen ts ?

Mob i l i tyscoo te r sandpowe redwhee l cha i r s mus thavece r ta incons t ruc t ion fea tu res ,inc lud ing : F igu re1 .1 Cons t ruc t ionfea tu res Maxun ladenwe igh t Maxpavemen tspeed Maxroadspeed Speeddev i ceand speedind i ca to r( i ) Maxw id th L igh ts

C lass2 113 .4kg(248 lbs ) 4 mph(6 .4kmph ) No tapp l i cab le No tapp l i cab le

C lass3 150kg(330lbs ) 4 mph(6 .4kmph ) 8 mph(12 .8kmph ) requ i red

No tapp l i cab le Lampsandre f lec to r s requ i redon l y i fused be tweensunse tand sun r i sewhenusedon theca r r iageway .

Rea rv iew m i r ro r Aud ib lewa rn ing ins t rumen t(ho rn ) B rak ingrequ i remen t

No tapp l i cab le No tapp l i cab le

0 .85 me t res(2 '9 " ) ( i )f ron tandrea rl igh ts andre f lec to r s ,and d i rec t ionind i ca to r, wh i cha reab leto ope ra teasahaza rd wa rn ings igna l;( i i )an ambe rf lash ing l igh ti f usedonadua l ca r r iageway Requ i red Requ i red

Mus tbecapab leo f s topp ing ina l l cond i t ionsin reasonab let imeand d i s tance,ando fbe ing he ldonag rad ien to fa t leas t1 in5 .

Mus tbecapab leo f s topp ing ina l l cond i t ionsin reasonab let imeand d i s tance,ando fbe ing he ldonag rad ien to fa t leas t1 in5 .

( i )Speeddev i ce : meansadev i cetol im i tthe max imumspeedto4 mph , ope rab lebytheuse r .

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TheU seofIn va l idCa r r iage sonH ighway s (Amendmen t )(Eng landandSco t land )Regu la t ion s 2015 TheRegu la t ionsgove rn ingtheuseo finva l idca r r iages( common l yknownas ‘powe redwhee l cha i r s ’and‘mob i l i tyscoo te r s ’ )havebeenamendedino rde rto suppo r tinc reased mob i l i tyfo ruse r sw i thacu te med i ca lneeds .

• Ex i s t ingun ladenwe igh tl im i tsbyC lasso fca r r iagew i l lbere ta ined , a l thoughthede f in i t ionhasbeenamendedto inc ludeaspec i f i c re fe rencetonecessa r yuse requ ipmen t ; • Therequ i remen tsinre la t iontoun ladenwe igh tl im i tscanbecomp l ied w i theveni ftheex i s t ingwe igh tl im i tsa reex ceededwhe re‘ex cess ’ we igh tresu l tsf rom“ne cessa r yuse requ ipmen t ”ontheca r r iage (de f inedasequ ipmen tnecessa r y“ to mee tspec i f i cc l in i ca l ,pos tu ra l , hyg ien i c ,ca r ingo rnu r s ingrequ i remen tso ftheuse r ” ) ;and • Anewuppe r l im i to f200kgw i l lbein t roducedfo rca r r iagestha t ex ceedtheex i s t ingC lasswe igh tl im i tsinthec i r cums tancesse tou t above .

The2015Regu la t ionshavebeenca re fu l l yd ra f tedtore ta intheex i s t ingun laden we igh tl im i tsandtores t r i c ttheuseo fheav ie rca r r iagestouse r sw i thac lea r need .Es tab l i sh inganuppe rwe igh tl im i to f200kgfo ranyC lasso fca r r iagetha t inco rpo ra tesnecessa r yuse requ ipmen tw i l lfu r the rm in im i sethesca leo fimpac t intheeven to faco l l i s ion .

TheU seo fInva l idCa r r iagesonH ighway s(Amendmen t )(Eng landand Sco t land )Regu la t ions2015camein tofo r ceon9 Ma r ch2015andcanbe accessedonl inea t :h t tp : / /www . leg i s la t ion .gov .uk /uks i /2015 /59 /con ten ts /made

Wha tabou ttwope rsonveh i c le s?

Twope r son mob i l i tyveh i c lesa reno tpe rm i t tedtobeusedonthepub l i c h ighway( i .e .onapavemen to rroad ) .Theycanbeusedonp r i va telandw i th thepe rm i ss iono fthelandowne r .

I ti sno tpe rm i t tedtoca r ryanyonee l seona mob i l i tyveh i c lee .g .ababyo ra sma l lch i ld .Howeve r ,thelawdoesno texp l i c i t l ys ta tetha tapa ren to rgua rd ian ca r r y ingach i ldinapoucho ras l ingonthe i rpe r son ,asanadu l twhowasno t d i sab ledwou lddo ,i sun law fu l.

Choo s ingther igh tveh i c le Whencons ide r ingus inga mob i l i tyveh i c le ,i ti simpo r tan ttoge texpe r tadv i ceto makesu rei t mee tsyou rneeds ,pa r t i cu la r l y i fyoua rechoos ingaveh i c lefo rthe f i r s tt ime . Werecommenda lway sgoing toanapp rovedsupp l ie rwhoshou ld 8

a l soassessyou rneed sandhe lpyoutochoo sether igh tveh i c le.I ti simpo r tan t tot r you taveh i c lebe fo rebuy ing ,toensu reyouhavethes t reng th ,con t ro land con f idencetousei t .I t maybeposs ib letoa r rangeahomev i s i ttoseehow su i tab leascoo te ro rwhee l cha i rm igh tbefo ryou rhome ;inpa r t i cu la r ,i fthe re a resu i tab les to rageandba t te r ycha rg ingfac i l i t ies . Cons ide rwhe the ryou r we igh tandbu i lda f fec t sthes tab i l i tyo faveh i c le ;i fyouhavel im i ta t ionsinus ing you rhandsyoushou ldcons ide r i fthecon t ro l sa resu i tab le . Youshou lda l so cons ide rwhe the ryouw i l lbeab letoge tonando f ftheveh i c leeas i l y .Youw i l l needtodec idehowfa ryouin tendtot rave landwha td i f f i cu l t iesyou rtyp i ca l jou rney m igh ten ta i l ;fo r ins tance ,unevensu r faces ,h ighke rbso rs teeph i l l s .

Veh i c lesva r y indes ign ,s i ze ,fea tu resandp r i ce ,andus inga mob i l i t yveh i c le requ i resacomb ina t iono fs igh t ,s t reng th ,co o rd ina t ion ,ba lanceand concen t ra t ion .Be fo reacqu i r ing ,anddu r ingowne r sh ipo faveh i c le ,youshou ld unde r takeanassessmen tw i thyou rdea le r /supp l ie r .You maya l sow i shtoask you rdoc to ro ranoccupa t iona lthe rap i s ttop rov ideacheck .

I ti sno ta lway sadv i sab letobuyaveh i c leon l ineasi t mayno tbesu i tab lefo r you rneeds .I fyoua rebuy ingasecondhandveh i c le ,i ti simpo r tan tyouhave theveh i c lecheckedfo ranyposs ib lefau l ts ,andtha tyouensu reyouob ta inthe handbook .A l lveh i c lesshou ldbea rtheCE ma r ktoind i ca tecon fo rm i t yw i th Eu ropeans tanda rds .I fyoua reindoub tabou tasupp l ie r,con tac ttheB r i t i sh Hea l thca reT radesAssoc ia t ion(BHTA)fo rad v i ce .(SeeU se fu lAdd ressesa tthe endo fth i sgu ide ) .

Theso r to fques t ionstoaskthedea le r /supp l ie rabou ttheveh i c lea re : • How muchdoesi tcos t?

• Wha t i scove redbythewa r ran ty?

• Ist ra in ingp rov idedo rdoyouknowo fanyt ra in ingava i lab lelo ca l l y?

• Whe recanIf indou tfu r the r in fo rma t ionontheveh i c le?

• Whe recanIbes tuseth i sveh i c le?

• Isthewhee l cha i r" re fe rence "whee l cha i rs i ze?

• Cani tbet ranspo r tedinaca ro ronpub l i ct ranspo r t?

• Wha tequ ipmen tdoesi tcomew i th?

• Wha tabou tse r v i c ing ;isthe reab reakdownrecove ryse r v i ce?

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Wha tshou ldIdotop repa re my se l ffo rgo ingou ton myveh i c le?

I fyoua reus ingamob i l i ty veh i c lefo rthef i r s tt ime ,o r i fi ti sawh i les inceyou haved r i venontheroad ,youa res t rong l yadv i sedtoge tsomet ra in ingtoensu re tha tyoucans tee randcon t ro ltheveh i c lep rope r l y ,espec ia l l yonuneven su r faces.You rassessmen tshou ldhaveinvo l vedcheck ingyou reyes igh t , reac t iont ime ,ba lanceandpos tu re ,ab i l i tytos i tfo r longpe r iods ,concen t ra t ion andab i li tytoge tonando f ftheveh i c le . You maya l sowan ttocons ide rhav ing aregu la rrev iewo fyou rd r i v ingsk i l l s .

A l thoughthe rea renolega leyes igh trequ i remen ts,goodv i s ioni simpo r tan tto d r i vea mob i l i tyveh i c lesa fe l yandyoushou ldbeab letojudg ed i s tan ces , recogn i seobs tac lesandhaza rds ,andbeab letoseepedes t r iansando the r roaduse r s .Poo reyes igh tcou ldbeacon t r ibu to r yfac to r inaninc iden tandcou ld makeyoul iab lefo racompensa t ionc la im .V i s ioncanchangew i thageandyou a rerecommendedtohaveregu la rs igh ttes ts . The re fo re ,youshou ldhavea m in imumv i sua lacu i tyo f6 /24 .

Whenchoos ingyou r mob i l i tyveh i c leyouw i l lbeaskedabou tyou rv i s ion.I fyou a ree l ig ib letobereg i s te redasseve re l ys igh timpa i red(b l ind ) ,youshou ldno t d r i vea mob i l i tyveh i c leasth i swou ldpu tyou r se l fando the r sa tr i sk .I fyoua re e l ig ib letobereg i s te redass igh timpa i red(pa r t ia l l ys igh ted ) ,youshou ldspeak toyou rop tome t r i s to rdoc to r .

I fyouregu la r l ytake med i ca t iontha t makesyoud row sy ,youshou ldcons ide r whe the r i twou ldbesa fetousea mob i l i tyveh i c le .I fyoua reinanydoub t , consu l tyou rdoc to r .Youshou ldno tusea mob i l i tyveh i c lei fyouhavebeen d r ink inga l coho l .

Fo rde ta i l so ft ra in ingcou r ses ,p leasecon tac tyou r loca lau tho r i tyo r loca lpo l i ce fo r ce .Seea l soU se fu lAdd ressesa ttheendo fth i sgu ide .Somet ranspo r t ope ra to r sa l sop rov idet ra in ing i fyoua rein tend ingtotakeyou rveh i c leonabus o rt ra in .

Wha t 'r u le so ftheroad 'shou ldIfo l low?

TheH ighwayCodenowhasasec t iononpowe redwhee l cha i r sand mob i l i ty scoo te r s .Th i si srep roduceda tAnnex(C ) .Youshou lda l solooka tacu r ren t ed i t iono ftheH ighwayCodeandbecomefam i l ia rw i ththeva r ioust ra f f i cs igns ands igna l stha tyouw i l lcomeac rosswhenyoua reusing you rveh i c le.

Inadd i t ion ,beca re fu lno ttoove r loadyou rveh i c le ,fo r ins tancew i thshopp ing bag s .I t maybecomeuns tab leandd i f f i cu l ttocon t ro l .T r ytoca r r yheav y loads 10

inthecen t reo ftheveh i c leto ma in ta ins tab i l i t y .A lway scheckthe manu fac tu re r ' sgu idan ceo rope ra to r ' s manua lfo r loadl im i tsandadv i ceabou t you rpa r t i cu la rscoo te ro rpowe redcha i r .Neve rhangca r r ie rbag sono rf romthe veh i c le ' st i l le ro rhand leba r s .Takeex t raca rewhengo inga roundasha rp co rne r ,acambe ro rabend ,ands lowdowni fnecessa r y .I ftheveh i c lehasa lapbe l tf i t tedtoi t ,a lway susei t-evenfo rsho r tjou rney s .

A lway sp lanyou r jou rney sca re fu l l y ,andwheneve rposs ib let r ytos t i cktothe pavemen t .I fyouhavetousetheroad ,t r ytoreac hyou rdes t ina t ionw i thou t hav ingtonego t ia te ma jo rroundabou ts ,rushhou rt ra f f i c ,o rbusyroads .

Fam i l ia r i seyou r se l fw i ththefac i l i t iesinyou r loca la rea ,suchasd roppedke rbs , wh i chw i l lhe lpyoutoc rossroads . Howeve r ,i fthes i tua t ionontheroaddoes becometoodaun t ing ,youcana lway ssw i tchtopavemen t mode(4 mph )and movetothefoo tpa thun t i lyoufee lcon f iden tenoughtorejo inthet ra f f i c .

Remembe r ,ca reshou lda l sobetakenwhenus ingthepavemen t . Pedes t r ians mayno thea raveh i c leapp roach ingand m igh t ,fo r ins tance ,changed i rec t ion w i thou twa rn ing .Ensu reyoutakeacha rged mob i lephonew i thsu f f i c ien tc red i ts oni t-incaseo faneme rgency .

I fyoua ret rave l l inga tn igh t ,l igh ts mus tbeused ,fo rbo thC lass2andC lass3 veh i c l es ,bu tremembe r i ti sa lway sagoodideatobeasconsp i cuousas poss ib le . Youcou ldwea raf luo rescen tjacke to ra t tachre f lec t i ve ma r k ing sto makeyouandyou rveh i c le mo reconsp i cuou s .

HowcanIkeep myveh i c leroadwo r thy?

I ti sessen t ia ltha tyoukeepyou rveh i c leingoodwo r k ingo rde r inac co rdance w i ththe manu fac tu re r ' srecommenda t ions .Veh i c lesupp l ie r sshou ldbeab leto answe ranyques t ionsyou m igh thaveabou tthe ma in tenanceo fspe c i f i c mode l s .

I ti sessen t ia ltokeepyou rba t te r y ingoodwo r k ingo rde r . You rdea le rw i l l adv i seonhowo f ten i tshou ldbecha rged,bu tneve rs ta r tanun fam i l ia r jou rney w i thou tafu l l ycha rgedba t te r y ,andbeawa reo fyou rveh i c lesrangeonafu l l y cha rgedba t te r y .Chec kyou rveh i c lesty rep ressu reregu la r l y .Howfa randhow longyoucant rave lonacha rgew i l ldependonyou rwe igh t ,thesu r faceon wh i chyoua rer id ing ,i fyoua reus ing l igh tsandhav ingthety resa ttheco r rec t p ressu re .L igh t ingequ ipmen tshou ldbekep tc leanandingoodwo rk ingo rde r .

I fyoua reus ingwea the rp ro tec t i vecapes ,o rscoo te rcove r s ,you mus tensu re no th ingobscu resyou rv i s ib i l i ty .W indow s ,w indsc reensand m i r ro r sshou lda l so bec leanandc lea ro fobs t ruc t ionsfo rgooda l lroundv i s ion .I t i simpo r tan ttha t you rveh i c leunde rgoe satho roughsa fe tychecka tleas tonceayea r .

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Wha t happen si fIb rea kdown?

I ti simpo r tan ttoknowwha tse r v i cei sava i lab leintheeven to fab rea kdownand youa reawayf romhome .I fh i r ing ,checkwhe the rb reakdowninsu rancei s a l ready inp lace .I fbuy ing ,checkwha tinsu ran cei sava i lab le ,how muchi tcos ts andwhe the r i tex tendstob reakdowno f froad .

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U se fu lAdd re sse s I fyouhaveanyques t ionsabou tth isgu idance ,p leasecon tac t : Depa r tmen tfo rT ranspo r t Sus ta inab leT rave landEqua l i t ies Zone2 /15 G rea tM ins te rHouse 33Ho r se fe r r yRoad London ,SW1P4DR .

I fyourequ i refu r the rin fo rma t ionabou tsupp l ie rs ,p leasecon tac t : B r i t i shHea l thca reT radesAssoc ia t ion(BHTA ) NewLoomHouse Su i te4 .06 101BackChu r chLane London,E11LU. Te l :02077022141 Fax :02076804048 Ema i l :bh ta@bh ta .com Web : www .bh ta .ne t Fo rfu r the rin fo rma t ionabou tt ra in ingfac i l i t ies ,p leasecon tac t : TheFo rumo f Mob i l i tyCen t res c /oP rov idenceChape l Wa reho rne Ash fo rd Ken t ,TN262JX Te l :08005593636( f reephonenumbe r-be tween9 .00and5 .00pm Monday s toF r iday s ) i l i ty@ r ch t .co rnwa l l .nhs .uk Webwww Ema i l :mob .mob i li ty cen t res .o rg .uk Na t iona lFede ra t iono fShopmob i l i ty POBox6641 Ch r i s tchu r ch BH239DQ .

Te l :08456442446 .

Ema i l :in fo@shopmob i l i tyuk .o rg Web :www .shopmob i l i tyuk .o rg

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Fo rgene ra lin fo rma t ionabou t mob i l i tyveh ic les ,p leasecon tac t : D i sab led Mo to r ingUK Ashwe l l tho rpe No rw i ch NR161EX .

Te l01508 489449 Ema i l :in fo@d i sab ledmo to r ing .o rg www .d i sab ledmo to r ing .o rg

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AnnexA-Re fe ren ce Whee l cha i rd imen s ion s .

F igu re1 .2

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AnnexB-Con fede ra t iono fPa ssenge rT ran spo r t Vo lun ta ryCodeo fBe s tP ra c t i ce TheCon fede ra t iono fPassenge rT ranspo r tUK(CPT ) i srecogn i sedby Gove rnmen tasthevo i ceo fthebus ,coachandl igh tra i lindus t r ies ,andthe focusfo rconsu l ta t iononna t iona landin te rna t iona lleg i s la t ion ,loca lregu la t ions , ope ra t iona lp rac t i cesandeng inee r ings tanda rds .

CPTCodefo rtheuseandaccep tanceo f Mob i l i tyScoo te r son lowf loo rBuses adap tedtoca r r ywhee l cha i r s : Busope ra to r sa recomm i t tedto mak ingschedu ledbusse r v i cesaccess ib leto as manypeop leaspo ss ib leandth i scodei sdes ignedtoass i s t inhe lp ing ope ra to r sindeve lop ingapo l i cytoenab le mob i l i tyscoo te r stobeu sedonthe i r se r v i ces . Mob i l i tyscoo te r sa reusedbyanin c reas ingp ropo r t iono fthe popu la t ionanda reno tbu i l ttorecogn i sedcommons tanda rds .

Th i scodehasbeende ve lopedjo in t l ybyCPTandthe Depa r tmen tfo rT ranspo r tandi sdes ignedtobetheindus t r ys tanda rdfo rthe ca r r iageo f mob i l i tyscoo te r sonschedu ledbu sse r v i cesou ts ideLondon .I tsa im i storeducethescopefo r“onthebus ”d i sag reemen tandd i spu tes .

Ope ra to r swhoadhe retoth i scodeshou ld ma keth i spub l i c l yknown ,pa r t i cu la r l y tog roupsrep resen t ingpeop lew i th mob i l i tyd i f f i cu l t ies .

Requ i remen tsfo r Ope ra to rs The rei snolega lrequ i remen ttoca r r y Mob i l i tyScoo te r swh i cha reca r r ieda t eachope ra to r ’ sind i v idua ld i sc re t ion .

“C lass2 ” scoo te r sw i th3o r4whee l sw i l lbeaccep tedp rov idedthe ya reno mo rethan600mmw ideand1000mmlong ,w i thatu rn ingrad iusno tex ceed ing 1200mm ,andsub jec ttotheo the rc r i te r iase tou the re in . Fo reaseo f recogn i t ion ,d r i ve r sshou ldbei ssuedw i thahandyca rd“ recogn i t iongu ide ”to iden t i fy“C lass2 ”and“C lass3 ”scoo te r s .

Thewe igh to fthescoo te rp lusoccupan t mus tbew i th inthesa fewo r k ing l im i t (SWL )o ftherampf i t tedtotheveh i c le .

Asagene ra lru letherampsf i t tedtoveh i c leshaveasa fewo r k ing l im i to f300kg .

TheSWL i siden t i f iedonthebu l kheadineachveh i c leo rontheac tua lramp i tse l f .“C lass2 ”scoo te r sgene ra l l ywe igh65kg ,leav ing235kg s( app rox .37 s tones )a l lowancefo rtheoccupan t .I tshou ldbefo rthed r i ve r ’ sd i sc re t ionto con f i rmtha tthe mob i l i t yscoo te randoccupan ta rew i th intheSWLfo rtheramp .

I fthed r i ve rcons ide r sthewe igh ttobeinex cesso fth i s ,thenthe in tend ing passenge rshou ldbepo l i te l yre fuseden t r yon totheveh i c leando f fe redan app rop r ia teexp lana t ion .

“C lass3 ”scoo te r sa re la rge randa recapab leo ft rave l l inga t6 8 mph . These a reno tdes ignedtobeca r r iedbybusandshou ldthe re fo rebere fusedfo r 16

ca r r iage .Theycaneas i l ybeiden t i f ied ,asthe y mus tbef i t tedw i thf ron t / rea r l igh ts ,haza rdwa rn ing l igh ts ,anda manua lb rake .

Ope ra to r s mus tensu retha t Mob i l i tyScoo te ru se r shavethe i r scoo te rassessed andapp rovedassu i tab lefo rca r r iageonthe i rveh i c les .Th i sapp rova lneedsto cove rbo ththedes igno fthescoo te randtheab i l i tyo ftheuse rtocon t ro land manoeuv rei tsa fe l y .

App rova lshou ldbei ssuedinthefo rmo fac red i tca rds i zedpho tog raph i c “pe rm i tfo rt rave l ”wh i chshou ldbefo raf i xeddu ra t ion(no t mo rethan5yea r s ) asuse r s ’hea l thandab i l i t ies maya l te rove rt ime .Thepe rm i tw i l la l socon ta in thecond i t ionso fuseandtheuse rshou ldshowth i spe rm i ttothed r i ve ron boa rd ingtheveh i c le .Th i ss tanda rdpe rm i ton ceaccep tedandi ssuedbyone ope ra to rshou ldbeaccep tedbya l lo the rope ra to r swhohaves igneduptothe code .

Requ i remen tsfo rUse rso f Mob i l i tyScoo te rs A l luse r so f mob i l i tyscoo te r swhoa rep rospe c t i vepassenge r s mus tob ta inp r io r app rova lo fope ra to r sandob ta inas tanda rd“pe rm i tfo rt rave l ”p r io rtothe i r scoo te rbe ingca r r iedonanybus .

Mob i l i tyscoo te ruse r s mus tbeassessedandrece i veonbust ra in ingf romthe ope ra to rbe fo ret rave l l ingonthebusfo rthef i r s tt ime .

Aspa r to fth i st ra in ing ,use r sshou ldbeadv i sedabou tthep reva lenceo flow f loo rveh i c lesw i thrampsandadv i sedtha twhe resuchaveh i c lei sno tava i lab le andas tepen t r yveh i c lei sinse r v i ce ,i tw i l lno tbeposs ib lefo rthemtobe t ranspo r ted .

Theuse r mus tbet ra inedbytheope ra to r in manoeuv r ingupanddownthe ramp ,andw i th intheveh i c le . Theramp mus tbeaccessedheadonwhen boa rd inganda l igh t ingtheveh i c letoreducether i sko facc iden ts . On l yonce theope ra to r i ssa t i s f iedtha ttheuse rcanpe r fo rmthesetaskssa fe l yand ina reasonab lepe r iodo ft imeshou ldthe“pe rm i ttot rave l ”bei ssuedtotheuse r .

Onceonboa rd ,use r sshou ldpu tthe i r mob i l i tyscoo te r inthedes igna ted whee l cha i rspace ,reve r seduptotheback res t . Thescoo te r mo to r mus tbe sw i tchedo f fandthescoo te rpa r ked ingea rtoavo id movemen t .I fthe whee l cha i rspacei sa l readyoccup iedbyawhee l cha i r ,i tw i l lno tbeposs ib lefo r thescoo te ruse rtot rave l .

I ti sarequ i remen ttha tthepassenge rrema insonthe mob i l i tyscoo te roncei ti s pa r kedinthedes igna tedwhee l cha i rspace ,u s ingthehand ra i l sp rov idedto ass i s tw i thsa fe tyands tab i l i ty .

Theuse rshou ldbead v i sedtha tthescoo te rw i l lon l ybeca r r iedp ro v idedtha t i t doesno tposeadange rtoo the roccupan tso ftheveh i c le . Theuse rshou ldbe adv i sedtha tthescoo te r mus tthe re fo rebe ma in ta inedingoodwo r k ingo rde r , tha tnoba t te r yo re lec t r i ca lo r mechan i ca lequ ipmen tshou ldbeexposedo rbe 17

leak inganyf lu id ,i sno t mod i f iedo rcus tom i sedsuchtha ti trep resen t san obs t ruc t iono ro the rha za rdtoo the rpassenge r s ,andtha tthescoo te rshou ldno t beove r loadedw i than y i temswh i chwou ldmakethescoo te runs tab le(e .g . shopp ingbag s ) .

Busope ra to r srese r vether igh ttow i thd rawthepe rm i ttot rave lintheeven to f m i suseo fthe mob i l i tyscoo te r ,bytheho lde ro fthepe rm i t ,wh i chresu l tsin damageo r in ju r ytoo the rpassenge r sand /o rtheveh i c le .

D r ive rT ra in ingfo ra l lPCVd r i ve r s Theaccep tanceo f mob i l i tyscoo te r sonlowf loo rbusesadap tedtoca r r y whee l cha i r s mus tbe in c luded inanyd i sab i l i tyawa renesst ra in ingcou r se de l i ve redaspa r to fD r i ve rCPC .

D r ive r sshou ldbe : adv i sedo fthepe rm i ts y s temandtheassessmen tp rocesstha teach mob i l i ty scoo te rhasgoneth roughbe fo rebe ing i ssuedw i thape rm i ttoenab lethemto usethe mob i l i tyscoo te ronlowf loo rbuses . adv i sedo fthetechn i ca lcapab i l i t ieso f“C lass2 ” mob i l i tyscoo te r sandwh i ch onesa reaccep tab lefo ruseontheveh i c le . i ssuedw i thahandy“ recogn i t iongu ide ”show ingthecommontypeso faccep ted “C lass2 ”scoo te r s ,andthep roh ib i ted“C lass3 ”des igns . rem indedo ftheimpo r tanceo fpa r k ingtheveh i c lea tbuss topspa ra l le land c losetotheke rbtoenab lethesa feuseo ftheveh i c leramp . t ra inedinasa fesy s temo fwo r kfo rsa fe l ydep loy ingands towageo ftheveh i c le ramp . adv i sedo ftheeme rgencyp rocedu restobeadop tedintheeven to fthe cus tome rge t t ing in tod i f f i cu l t ieswh i l s tt r y ingtoboa rdo ra l igh tf romtheveh i c le . rem indedo fthecodeo fconduc tregu la t ionswh i chs ta testheyshou ldask cus tome r soccupy ingthewhee l cha i randbuggyspaceto movei fawhee l cha i r use r , mob i l i tyscoo te ro rbugg yuse rw i shestoboa rdandoccupyth i sspace . rem indedtoadv i secu s tome r sbe fo retheyboa rdw i tha mob i l i tyscoo te r ,tha t they mus tapp roachtherampheadonwhenboa rd ingo ra l igh t ingtoe l im ina te ther i sko ft ipp ing .

No te :use r so fwhee l cha i r swh i chcon fo rmtothes tanda rdre fe rences i zew i l l con t inuetobeca r r iedonsu i tab lelow f loo rveh i c lessub jec ttothede s igna ted spacebe ingava i lab le .

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AnnexC-Ex t ra c tsf romtheH ighwayCode Ru lesfo ruse rso fpowe red whee lcha i rsand mob i l i tyscoo te rs(3646 )(Ca l ledInva l idCa r r iagesinlaw ) 36 : The rei sonec lasso f manua lwhee l cha i r( ca l ledaC lass1inva l id ca r r iage )andtwoc las seso fpowe redwhee l cha i r sandpowe red mob i l i ty scoo te r s . Manua lwhee l cha i r sandC lass2veh i c lesa rethosew i thanuppe r speedl im i to f4 mph(6km /h )anda redes ignedtobeusedonpavemen ts .

C lass3veh i c lesa rethosew i thanuppe rspeedl im i to f8 mph(12km /h )anda re equ ippedtobeusedontheroadaswe l lasthepavemen t .

37 : Whenyoua reontheroadyoushou ldobeythegu idanceandru lesfo r o the rveh i c les ;whenonthepavemen tyoushou ldfo l lowthegu idanceandru les fo rpedes t r ians .

Onpavemen ts 38 : Pavemen tsa resa fe rthanroadsandshou ldbeusedwhenava i lab le .

Youshou ldg i vepedes t r iansp r io r i tyandshowcons ide ra t ionfo ro the rpavemen t use r s ,pa r t i cu la r l ythosew i thahea r ingo rv i sua limpa i rmen twho mayno tbe awa retha tyoua rethe re .

39 : Powe redwhee l cha i r sandscoo te r s MUSTNOTt rave lfas te rthan4 mph (6km /h )onpavemen tso r inpedes t r iana reas .You mayneedtoredu ceyou r speedtoad jus ttoo the rpavemen tuse r swho mayno tbeab leto mo veou to f you rwayqu i ck lyenougho rwhe rethepavemen ti stoona r row .

40 : When mov ingo f fthepavemen ton totheroad ,youshou ldtakespec ia l ca re.Be fo re mov ingo f f ,a lway slookroundand makesu rei t ’ ssa fetojo inthe t ra f f i c .A lway st rytoused roppedke rbswhen mov ingo f fthepavemen t ,eveni f th i s meanst rave l l ingfu r the rtoloca teone .I fyouhavetoc l imbo rde scenda ke rb ,a lway sapp roach i ta tr igh tang lesanddon ’ tt r ytonego t ia teake rbh ighe r thantheveh i c le manu fac tu re r ’ srecommenda t ions .

Ontheroad 41 : Youshou ldtakeca rewhent rave l l ingontheroadasyou maybe t rave l l ing mo res low lythano the rt ra f f i c( you r mach inei sres t r i c tedto8 mph(12 km /h )and maybelessv i s ib le ) .

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42 : Whenontheroad ,C la ss3veh i c lesshou ldt rave linthed i rec t iono fthe t ra f f i c .C lass2use r sshou lda lway susethepavemen twheni ti sava i lab le .

Whenthe rei snopavemen t ,youshou ldusecau t ionwhenontheroad .C lass2 use r sshou ld ,whe reposs ib le ,t rave linthed i rec t iono fthet ra f f i c .I fyoua re t rave l l inga tn igh twhenl igh ts MUSTbeused ,youshou ldt rave linthed i rec t ion o fthet ra f f i ctoavo idcon fus ingo the rroaduse r s .

43 : You MUSTfo l lowthesameru lesabou tus ing l igh ts ,ind i ca to r sandho rns asfo ro the rroadveh i c les ,i fyou rveh i c lei sf i t tedw i ththem .A tn igh t , l igh ts MUSTbeused .Beawa retha to the rroaduse r s mayno tseeyouandyou shou ld makeyou r se l f mo rev i s ib le-evenintheday t imeanda l soa tdusk-by , fo r ins tance ,wea r ingare f lec t i vejacke to rre f lec t i ves t r ipsonthebac ko fthe veh i c le .

44 : Takeex t raca rea troadjunc t ions . Whengo ings t ra igh tahead ,chec kto makesu rethe rea renoveh i c lesabou ttoc ro ssyou rpa thf rom thele f t ,ther igh t , o rove r tak ingyouandtu rn ing le f t .The rea reseve ra lop t ionsfo rdea l ingw i th r igh ttu rns ,espec ia l l ytu rn ingf roma ma jo rroad .I f mov ing in tothe m idd leo fthe roadi sd i f f i cu l to rdange rous ,youcan • s toponthele f thands ideo ftheroadandwa i tfo rasa fegapinthe t ra f f i c • nego t ia tethetu rnasapedes t r ian ,i .e .t rave la longthepavemen tand c rosstheroadbe tweenpavemen tswhe rei t i ssa fetodoso .C lass3 use r sshou ldsw i tchtheveh i c letothe lowe rspeedl im i twhenon pavemen ts I fthejunc t ioni stooha za rdous ,i t maybewo r thcons ide r ingana l te rna t i verou te .

S im i la r l y ,whennego t ia t ing ma jo rroundabou ts( i .e .w i thtwoo r mo relanes ) i t maybesa fe rfo ryoutousethepavemen to rf indarou tewh i chavo idsthe roundabou ta l toge the r .

45 : A l lno rma lpa r k ingres t r i c t ionsshou ldbeobse r ved .You rveh i c leshou ld no tbele f tuna t tended i fi tcausesanobs t ruc t iontoo the rpedes t r iansespec ia l l ythose inwhee l cha i r s .

46 : Theseveh i c les MUSTNOTbeusedon mo to rway s( seeRu le253 ) .They shou ldno tbeusedonun res t r i c teddua lca r r iageway swhe rethespeedl im i t ex ceeds50 mph(80km /h )bu ti ftheya reusedonthesedua lca r r iageway s , they MUSThaveaf lash ingambe rbeacon .Af lash ingambe rbeaconshou ldbe usedona l lo therdua lca r r iageway s( seeRu le220 ) .

• [TheH ighwayCodei sava i lab leon l inea t : h t tp : / /www .d i rec t .gov .uk ]

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