Britain is the mobility scooter capital of Europe with around 330,000 scooters on our roads and pavements and the numbers are growing fast. For owners, scooters are a lifeline offering freedom and independence, but for other road users, they can cause chaos. The number of accidents with mobility scooter drivers is increasing and pedestrians are more regularly being mowed down, often left badly injured. There’s very little regulation, as mobility scooter drivers don’t need to pass a proficiency test and insurance is not compulsory. Even being registered blind doesn’t legally stop you from being allowed to drive one.

With access to South Yorkshire Police’s mobility scooter driving school, this warmhearted, engaging and informative documentary for BBC One follows the lives of scooter users in South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and North Wales. We meet those living their twilight years to the full with the help of a fourwheeled friend and also hear the stories of those who have fallen foul of the mobility scooter phenomenon. With ailing health a common theme, this documentary is as much about mortality as it is about mobility. Produced by Nine Lives Media in 2014 for the BBC.

#mobilityscooter #atruestory