NORTH DELTA — As an increasing number of seniors come to rely on motorized scooters to get out and about, the dangers and hazards of operating such devices are concerning law enforcement.
There have been several accidents involving cars and motorized scooters throughout the Lower Mainland in 2014, prompting Delta Community Police Station (CoPS) to offer a crash course in fine-tuning seniors' motorized scooter skills at North Delta'sSeniors Expo on Oct. 4.
As scooters do not require any form of registration or licensing and are classified as "pedestrians," some education is needed to provide drivers with the training to safely maneuver and operate a scooter.
"Nobody really teaches you as a pedestrian how to walk safely or what the rules of the road are once you've done that bit in Kindergarten," said Delta police spokeswoman Sgt. Sarah Swallow.
"So, this is just to remind people who are using a mobility scooter what the rules are and just to give them a place to practice."
Police officers and volunteers will set up an obstacle course for seniors who want to practice in a safe environment.
Instructors will explain about visibility, reflectors, safely navigating sidewalk letdowns, and more.
"With uneven sidewalks or even if they're going straight on a sidewalk past one of the letdowns where your scooter is potentially on an angle, we'll explain how to deal with that or maneuvering around people and other objects," said Swallow.
The first Seniors Expo will be held at Kennedy Seniors Recreation Centre, 11780 88th Ave., North Delta, on Saturday, Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The "Scooter 101" course runs from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Admission is free.