Scooter Accident Brings Safety Issue To The Fore

Jerry Nelson doesn't drive, so when he needs to go to the bank or the post office, he hops on his wife's three-wheel power scooter and heads out.

In his travels, Nelson mostly sticks to riding on the sidewalks. That changes, however, if he goes down side streets where there are no walkways.

Fortunately, his scooter is equipped with emergency lights, turn signals and a headlight, making him more visible to drivers. Plus, Nelson said he doesn't go out much at night.

"I always (have) flashers on," he said.

Not everyone who uses such motorized vehicles has the features Nelson does.

It also does not help that some fellow motorists have a hard time seeing motorized vehicles on the roads because of how low these vehicles sit to the ground.

Avon Park City Councilman George Hall hopes something can be done to make motorized vehicles more visible to those behind the wheel of a car or truck.

"We're going to have somebody clobbered if we don't take a proactive stance," Hall said at Monday's city council meeting. He directed his concern to Avon Park Police Chief Matt Doughney.

Doughney was busy Wednesday researching various statutes in relation to the motorized transports. The issue is one he has not dealt with since becoming police chief of Avon Park.

"Education is going to wind up being the key for this," Doughney said.

On Friday, Ernest Blogett, 85, of Sebring, was riding his three-wheel power scooter on southbound U.S. 27 in front of Lakeshore Mall when he was struck by an SUV.

"I just didn't see him," said Disiree Alabe, the driver of the 2001 Nissan Pathfinder, on the day of the accident. "His chair is lower than my eyesight."

Florida statutes define a motor vehicle as, "any self-propelled vehicle, including a motor vehicle combination, not operated upon rails or guideway, excluding vehicles moved solely by human power, motorized wheelchairs and motorized bicycles."

Hall said he sometimes has difficulty seeing drivers of small, motorized transports when he is at a crosswalk and behind the wheel of his Ford F-150 truck.

"When I was a kid, they used to make us put a flag on," our bicycles, he said.

Nelson believes motorized vehicle drivers should be the ones to decide if their scooters or wheelchairs need things - such as flags - to make them more visible.

If such devices were ever required, he said, they should be provided by authorities.

"There's a lot of handicapped people on a very tight budget," Nelson said. "Just get more sidewalks."

More sidewalks are being worked on for the residents of Sun 'n Lake.

In the spring of 2008, the district, in partnership with Highlands County engineering, received a Florida Department of Transportation grant to build sidewalk segments along the south side of Sun 'n Lake Boulevard, according to an April 20 Highlands Today report.

"We decided to expand it to an eight-foot-wide multi-use cart path, so we could ride golf carts up and down it," said Sun 'n Lake General Manager Al Grieshaber Jr., on Wednesday.

He added that many Sun 'n Lake residents use motorized transports like golf carts to drive to doctor's appointments or for other reasons.

"What we're trying to do, with the help of Highlands County, is get a sidewalk network," Grieshaber said "We're trying to accommodate our individuals who use those modes of transportation."

Sun 'n Lake is also working to get grant money so that the sidewalk could be expanded more westbound toward Balboa Boulevard, according to Grieshaber.

"It's really a bonanza and Highlands County has really helped out," he said.