Why is road safety important? 

The reason why road safety is important to me is because not many people see us when they are in their cars and vehicles. Also, because it is always good to keep ourselves safe. Our mobility wheelchairs are actually our vehicles. Even though we are in the chair, we are actually in our vehicles.  

Another thing is we are aware of people in the car, but people in their cars also need to be aware of us. That’s why we can use a flag and a safety vest. Because we need to use both, not just one.  

Why is using a safety vest and a flag important? 

Because it is helpful to warn oncoming traffic that something is behind you. Even though we have a light on our chair, we still need something brighter and higher. That’s why I have a flag and a safety vest. 

 

Do you have anything that you’d like able-bodied drivers in cars to be more aware of? 

Number One: I would like to say to able-bodied drivers, when you see a disabled person crossing the road, you need to slow down in your vehicle and look both ways. That gives us time to be able to cross the road safely. And, if you see anybody that is struggling to cross the road, don’t be afraid to ask them, “do you want a hand?”  

If they can do it, they will do it. If they say they can’t do it, then consider helping them.  

A message for other power chair users about road safety: 

Make sure you’ve got the same gear to help you be safe on the road. Make sure you have safety equipment on your chair, or something you can wear that helps people to see you. 

Fo example, some people’s manual wheelchairs or older powerchairs, do not have lights, or some of the safety features that the new wheelchairs have. The newer powerchairs have safety gear and lights that you can turn on and off when you are crossing the road. This is important to think about if you’re going to go for a walk by yourself, because some people may not see you if you have no lights, or no safety equipment. How does the oncoming car see you if you are going out on your own with no safety equipment? You may go out with your caregiver, but safety equipment is another way of keeping yourself safe.  

Another thing to add, is that when you see a pedestrian about to cross the road, and you’re in the car... what should you do in the first place? Slow down. What I notice when I cross the road, is not many people slow down. Even though I have my flag and my safety vest on, they can see me, the flag, and the safety vest, but they still don’t slow down. So, what I’m trying to say, that it doesn’t matter if me or anyone has a wheelchair or not, you must always look both ways and slow down as the driver in the car. When we are crossing the road, we also need to look both ways. My only concern is, drivers really need to slow down and make sure nothing is coming, and that you can see it is clear both ways. For the person crossing, if you see no cars on the road, and it’s clear, it is safe for us to cross the road. Suddenly, if a car (going too fast) appears, the person in the wheelchair can’t stop, they need time to cross the road and must keep going. So, the car will also need to allow extra time for us to cross the road. Please be careful of disabled people when you are driving. Disabled people are also human beings. We know what we are doing, we know how to cross the road, but we just use our wheelchairs as our vehicles, and you need to be considerate of us.  

If we look after each other on the road, I think the road would be a safer place for everybody to use. It’s common sense!  

By Yung Chen