A team of researchers from Nottingham is strapping high definition cameras to mobility scooters in a quest to prevent more people being injured in collisions.
The project, being led by psychologists at Nottingham Trent University, will provide mobility scooter users with guidance on the type of hazards they may face and how to spot them.
Users are being invited to drive along a planned route as part of the project, with cameras recording the view from the user’s perspective and eye-tracking technology used to show what the driver is looking at.
There are currently between 300,000 and 350,000 people using mobility scooters in the UK. This is expected to rise by up to 10 per cent per year.
However, in 2014 there were more than 200 mobility scooter-related collisions in England and Wales, nine of which were fatal.
Dr Duncan Guest, a psychologist in the university’s school of social sciences, said: “There are a number of health and well-being benefits associated with using mobility scooters, such as increased independence and improving self-esteem.
“However, these benefits might not be realised if someone uses a scooter for the first time and gets into a difficult situation.
“Our aim is to improve the safety of new mobility scooter users and reduce potential collisions.”
The research will be used to create a training video for Shopmobility centres and other charities.
