Safety issues raised after fatal scooter accident
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 17, 2007 | 3:55 PM PT
CBC News
The death this week of an elderly Victoria-area man under the wheels of a dump truck while driving his new scooter is raising safety questions.
Albert James Wick, 74, died Monday when his electric scooter tipped off the sidewalk on Millstream Road in suburban Langford, west of the capital city.
His widow said he had just got the scooter.
The manager of Victoria's MEDIchair outlet notes no licence or driving lessons are required for scooter operators because they are classified as pedestrians.
David Coulter also told the Victoria Times Colonist that officials should consider making helmets mandatory for senior scooter riders.
He noted that scooters are becoming much more popular as the population ages.
Newer scooters, which cost up to $6,000 and weigh about 90 kilograms, can move at speeds of up to 24 km/h.
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