Whatever the ruling, the increase in accidents and fatalities has been on a steep upward trajectory. We’re only five days into this month and already an elderly lady from Kent has tragically died after a collision with a recovery van.

In the meantime it’s vital that elderly and mobility impaired individuals choose a solid, reliable scooter from a reputable and trusted source.  Manufacturers like Quingo, TGA, Sunrise Medical and mobility specialists such as More Than Mobility and Comfort Plus are all excellent suppliers of scooters and are hugely experienced in the mobility sector.

Comfort Plus is a particular favourite of mine.  A family run company based in Hertfordshire, Comfort Plus supplies a great range of scooters and, importantly, knows what’s required from one.  How do I know this?  The company labels its road going scooter range as ‘Heavy Duty Class 3”.  That’s precisely what’s needed – firstly, any road going scooter needs to be more robust than a bulldog’s jaw and secondly it needs to be Class 3 which is the Government’s labeling of a road-legal 8mph mobility scooter.

The company’s heavy duty mobility scooter is a sturdier model than its smaller counterpart and can support greater body weights. And true to the manufacturer’s specifications, the scooter can hit speeds of up to 8 miles an hour and cover 35 miles on a single battery charge. It also has high-quality direction indicators and hazard flashers along with head and tail lights. The tyres are large and offer good grip on the road.

rugged and dependable – the Cadiz mobility scooter

The controls are impressive too. The hand controls are simple and there is a good range of adjustment settings. The scooter is also fitted with the supremely comfortable ‘Captain Seat’, a must-have if you are planning trips of more than a few miles.

All in all, Comfort Plus’ range of heavy duty road-legal scooters can’t be faulted.  Most importantly, this is a company that knows the mobility sector inside out and knows what its customers need, not just what they want.

Comfort Plus can be reached by calling 01462 678050 or by emailing the following address: info@comfortplusproducts.co.uk.  Its website can be found by clicking on Comfort Plus.

Apparently Stirling was ‘absolutely fascinated’ with the variety of mobility products on display and ‘marvelled at how technically advanced many of the solutions are these days.’  In fact, pound for pound modern day mobility scooters are more advanced technically than the Formula One cars Stirling drove in the 60’s. Obviously not as fast though.

 Tim Ross of TGA said, “We were delighted to welcome Sir Stirling onto our stand and assist him around the show. He explained to me the marvellous and inventive mobility solutions he had seen on our stand and around the show and concluded that his recent accident proved restricted mobility can happen anytime – hence experiencing The Mobility Roadshow was a must.”

It’s difficult when you’re a retired Formula One driver

The Mobility Roadshow was held earlier this month at the East of England Showground, Peterborough. Free to attend, the Roadshow is the only event of it’s kind in the UK where visitors can test drive a whole range of mobility products and adapted vehicles before purchasing. There was plenty to get involved with at this year’s show which included wheelchair basketball, rugby, tag rugby, sledge hockey, wheelchair dance and skills sessions for younger visitors. Plus in the Activity Zone you could try your hand at laser clays, archery, the climbing wall, adapted go-karts and a 4×4 experience.

The weather was great for all three days, which was fantastic for visitors, but left a few exhibitors red-faced and white-strapped from a lack of suntan cream.

Many exhibitors launch new products at the Roadshow, which means you get to see the latest innovations in mobility technology before they reach the market. My favourites?  There were some good offerings from Aquasoothe especially its unbelievably light portable scooter called the TravelLite which splits into 3 parts (so it can easily be taken on trains and planes); More Than Mobility with its stunning range of electric wheelchairs;   TGA and its Supersport; Portaramp (lightweight wheelchair access ramps); and Q’Straint (world leader in wheelchair passenger safety solutions) – all launched new products this year that resulted in high levels of interest, especially when visitors could touch and test products before purchasing.

Aquasoothe’s TravelLite which weighs just 25 kilogrammes

As ever, The Mobility Roadshow provided a great day out (for the whole family) and will do the same next year. Just remember to take your suntan cream!

Not much in that you might say – companies get bought and sold all the time – and you’d be right.

But for the mobility industry this is big news. Why? More Than Mobility owns two of the mobility industry’s leading retail websites – morethanmobility.com and another website called mobilityequipment.co.uk.

But what makes this news intriguing is the background of the 3 internet marketers who’ve bought the business. Step forward David Carr (ex-MD of AOL’s Access business); Karen Thomas (ex-CEO of AOL) and Jemma Dunn (internet director and entrepreneur).

Make no mistake, this is a heavy hitting internet team – as strong as you’d find in any other sector – which means that (a) they have earmarked the mobility sector as having huge growth potential and (b) they want to build a national quality brand name. I think that this team might just pull the industry up by the scruff of the neck!

The mobility industry lags behind many other sectors and is very dispersed, broken up and almost amateurish in the way it goes about things. That’s harsh perhaps – there are many fine companies in the sector – but if you were to examine the top ten mobility companies and compare them against the top ten car companies or top ten fashion brands you’d find a noticeable difference.

For these reasons I’ll be keeping a beady eye on More Than Mobility. When three ‘movers & shakers’ enter an industry you know that things will move fast. With this team the speedometer will be set on ‘turbo drive’.