Skip to main content

Main menu

  • About Us
    • Leadership
    • Our Team
    • Vision, Mission and Values
    • Health and Economic Impact
    • Research Impact Video
    • Strategic Plan
  • Our Research
    • Research Focus
      • Brain Health
      • Cancer
      • Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence
      • Heart Health
      • Healthy Aging and Mobility
      • Immune System
      • Injury and Rehabilitation
      • Lung Health
      • Mental Health and Substance Use
    • Research Centres and Programs
      • BC Centre on Substance Use
      • Centre for Aging SMART
      • Centre for Cardiovascular Innovation
      • Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Evaluation
      • Centre for Lung Health
      • Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
      • Immunity and Infection Research Centre
      • International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries
      • M. H. Mohseni Institute of Urologic Sciences
      • Ovarian Cancer Research Centre
      • Community Research Program
      • Emergency Medicine Research Program
      • Hematology Research Program
      • Skin Research Program
      • Other Research Focus Areas
    • News and Stories
    • Researcher Directory
    • Events and Workshops
  • Research Services
    • New to VCHRI
      • Working at VCHRI
      • Regulations and Training
      • Membership with VCHRI
      • Learning and Development
    • Starting Your Project
      • Research Facilitation
      • Awards and Funding
      • Grant Management
      • Operational Approval
      • CST Cerner
    • Developing Your Project
      • Clinical Trials Administration
      • Clinical Research Unit
      • Research Privacy
      • Financial Policies and Procedures
    • Additional Support
      • Indigenous Health Research Unit
      • VCH-VCHRI AI Hub
      • Communications and Media Relations
      • Study Recruitment Support
      • Innovation and Industry Partnership
    • Internal Awards
    • Clinical Research
    • Indigenous Research
  • Participate in Research
    • Reasons to Participate
    • Participant Stories
    • Find a Study
    • Recruitment Support

User menu

  • Log in

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Our Research
  3. News and Stories
  4. Scooter training may improve safety and social participation

Scooter training may improve safety and social participation

Stories Mar 18, 2016 3 minutes

Community-based training tailored to meet real-life social mobility needs.

In 2013, the small Vancouver Island seaside municipality of Sidney drafted a resolution to regulate the use of three- and four-wheeled motorized scooters because of the safety risks they were posing to pedestrians, traffic, and the scooter operators themselves. Regulation was seen as an opportunity to mandate operation and safety training for the motorized mobility devices. Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI) scientist Dr. Ben Mortenson is currently conducting a scooter training and education feasibility study, in part because of such community-identified safety issues.

“We’re hearing a lot of reports in the media about people being hurt and sometimes killed using their scooter,” says Dr. Mortenson, principal investigator at the International Collaboration On Repair Discoveries (ICORD), a VCHRI research centre. “There are definitely lots of things we can do to help make people safer. For example, many people don’t know that when going around corners, you really have to slow down because those forces can cause the scooter to tip over. And then there’s awareness of vehicles and the space around you.”

His study, which is currently recruiting participants, will train scooter users on how to properly operate their mobility device. 

“One of the big problems with scooters is that many people receive only minimal training on how to use them,” explains Dr. Mortenson, who is also an assistant professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, at the University of British Columbia. “So, you can get fairly inexpensive ones through stores that will give people an orientation to the device, but the training is quite curtailed and check-ins after the purchase don’t really happen.” 

“There’s quite a bit of concern out there that people aren’t getting the training needed to use these devices.”

Tailored training opens up more opportunities to be social 

The study will also look at whether training impacts the places scooter users go, their mobility, social participation and safety. It is therefore essential that the education sessions provided through the study be community-based.

“We will actually go to people’s homes and work with them in their own environment, so we’re contextualizing all of the skills we teach them,” explains Dr. Mortenson. 

“We’re going to make the scooter training very tailored to the client and what they want. So if they want to go shopping, we’ll teach them how to go shopping; if they want to walk the dog, we’ll teach them how to walk the dog.”

By gaining a better understanding of the implications of scooter training, Dr. Mortenson’s research aims to increase the social participation of scooter users and to enable them to do activities that give meaning to their lives.

“We don’t want to teach an individual with a scooter to do an activity that they’re never going to actually do,” he adds. “But if they’re interested in something, then we’re definitely going to support them in that.”


Interested in participating in this study? Click here to learn more or contact Leena Chau at leena.chau@ubc.ca /(604) 714-4108.

Researchers

Ben Mortenson

Related Articles

Looking FashionABLE in a wheelchair

Ask an expert: How can I enjoy cold weather activities if I live with a disability?

Preventing shoulder and arm problems post-breast cancer with a self-monitoring tool

Share:

  • Facebook
  • Linkedin
  • Twitter
  • Email

Related Research Centres/Programs

International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries

Get the latest research headlines in your inbox

Subscribe

Recent News and Stories

Type
Announcement

Celebrating the life and distinguished career of Dr. Marcel Dvorak

May 14, 2025
Type
Stories

More equitable representation needed in Parkinson’s research

May 9, 2025 parkinsons, patient engagement, women
Type
Stories

Gamified stroke recovery improves arm function

May 8, 2025 stroke, rehabilitation
See more news

Get updates!

Join our newsletter mailing list to stay up to date on features and releases.

Subscribe

Quick Links

  • News and Stories
  • Careers
  • Events
  • Media Enquiries

Follow Us

  • LinkedIn
  • X
  • YouTube

© 2025 VCHRI. All rights reserved.

  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy