Funded by The Department for Transport, Driving Mobility has successfully held its first training day for mobility scooter and powered wheelchair retailers so road safety can be improved for all.

Held at Cornwall Mobility, situated on the Royal Cornwall Hospital grounds in Truro and a Driving Mobility accredited centre, this educational event involved clinicians working with retailers so they can assess customer needs fully, provide appropriate products and raise awareness about safe driving.

This new voluntary scheme was launched at a House of Lords event earlier in the summer and is supported by the UK Government. The PWMS Retailer Training Scheme is available, for free, to all suppliers of scooters and wheelchairs and is led by Occupational Therapists from Driving Mobility. Driving Mobility is the charity that operates fitness-to-drive and equipment assessment centres across the UK for self-referring clients and those signposted from the DVLA, NHS, Motability and Police. Its team of educators are giving retailers new assessment skills to combine with their product expertise, so consumers are able to drive more safely on better suited products.

Leanne Grose, Business Development Manager at Cornwall Mobility, organised the first training day: “Everyone found the course rewarding and on completion certificates of accreditation were presented. It was really interesting to hear retailers say they felt the scheme would make a big difference to the safety of both mobility equipment owners and other highway users.  All the attendees indicated that they would be making some adjustments to their assessment processes. These changes included better eyesight checks, more in-depth recommendations on insurance and greater advice regarding the legal use of scooters.”

The training course consists of an online module and a practical day at a designated Driving Mobility Centre. All attendees at the Cornwall event had successfully completed their web-based training before moving onto the hands-on workshops and interactive discussions.

Leanne concludes: “With over 60 retailers already signed up nationally, our event at Cornwall Mobility represents the beginning of what promises to be a pioneering improvement in road safety.”

This training scheme is the first of its kind in the UK. With the number of mobility vehicles increasing in the UK, the need for a consistent and approved approach to providing scooters and powerchairs is more important than ever before.

To enrol on the free PWMS Retailer Training Scheme email: info@drivingmobility.org.