I need to vent about ECV's not a regular rant.

[Tozzie]

In the past 2 years I had to start using a ecv due to illness I got being a 911 first responder. I am so sick of people saying that we (those of us in scooters) must be careful and look out for others, I am careful but others must look out for us as well I can't tell you how many times I have been run into when I wasn't even in motion. I will look out for people but I am not going to be made into some monster because people are more into their cell phones than into what is around them. I am at a point now that if I see someone coming towards me I just stop if they walk into me so be it but it is on them not me.

 

[Goddesstree]

In the past 2 years I had to start using a ecv due to illness I got being a 911 first responder. I am so sick of people saying that we (those of us in scooters) must be careful and look out for others, I am careful but others must look out for us as well I can't tell you how many times I have been run into when I wasn't even in motion. I will look out for people but I am not going to be made into some monster because people are more into their cell phones than into what is around them. I am at a point now that if I see someone coming towards me I just stop if they walk into me so be it but it is on them not me.

Well, yes, while you are moving you should be careful. But don't feel responsible if someone walks into the ECV when it is not moving. There's little damage to someone walking into a nonmoving object. A lot of damage can occur when a moving object hits a person.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

If someone is walking and looking at their cell phone, they are at fault if they walk into someone or something. Good reminder to watch where you are going!

 

[Bete]

I have yelled stop nicely if someone is coming to close. I'll use the horn, too.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I've had people walk into me, broadside, and get upset at me. I normally laugh and let them know that they wouldn't have that problem if they actually watched where they were going.

 

[powellrj]

I went to my DSs graduation yesterday and I wish I would have counted the number of people who stepped around me to get in front of me. I am very careful about using my ECV, but I too get tired of people not paying attention and trying to make it my fault. I am starting to see more of us out and about so maybe people will become more aware of us.

 

[LilyWDW]

It is everyone's responsibility.

 

[robndani]

I agree about it being everyone's responsibility. My 7 year old son is notorious for darting in front of ECVs in Disney (as well as people walking, strollers, even walls sometimes). I must remind him 348194971 times to watch where he's going. I spend a lot of time apologizing... LOL

I've seen people of all ages walking/driving/pushing strollers into others a million times. I know Disney is awesome and there's so much to see, but PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE!

 

[arminnie]

This happens to me even when I am just walking - not on a scooter. When I see people coming towards me (not always children) if I don't know for sure that I can get out of their way (I am old and not as quick and agile as I used to be) I just turn into a stone. If they run into me while I am standing there not moving a muscle it's all on them.

TBH this is just as likely to happen at the mall as at Disney. Some of those stroller ladies at the mall (haven't found it to be true at Disney) like to use the stroller as a battering ram. I wonder why they think it's a good idea to use a 3 month old child as a weapon. Can't be good for the baby.

 

[Hopefully]

I was watching where I was going as a "gentleman" gradually veered toward me in WS in Epcot. I was also drifting left to try and avoid him. His wife was yelling at him to watch out where he was going. I stopped. He stopped, looked me straight in the face and stated "I will just knock her over".
Luckily DH did not hear him because it would have been ugly

 

[Simba's Mom]

In the past 2 years I had to start using a ecv due to illness I got being a 911 first responder. I am so sick of people saying that we (those of us in scooters) must be careful and look out for others, I am careful but others must look out for us as well I can't tell you how many times I have been run into when I wasn't even in motion. I will look out for people but I am not going to be made into some monster because people are more into their cell phones than into what is around them. I am at a point now that if I see someone coming towards me I just stop if they walk into me so be it but it is on them not me.

I definitely agree with you. People walking (or even running, usually yelling "Hurry up!") one way and looking another way is so common and just drives me crazy.

 

[pampam]

I hear ya. I've been pushing DD's wheelchair for 45 years. Same experience as you. It does not get better. I can count on 1 hand the number of times I've bumped into someone but hundreds of times people have bumped, usually tripping over DD. And so many times they have not said they were sorry. All I can do is move on. We cannot change the world, and as people becomes more self centered or unthinking it will get worse. The only person I can control is myself, and some times I have a difficult time controlling me.

 

[PatMcDuck]

I also stop when pushing my son in his manual type chair. And then they walk into us.

My peeve is entering a queue and parents rushing their kids to quickly scoot ahead of us. As if we would slow them down in a queue line. They literally push their kids, who usually hesitate to cut in front of us, because they are not yet insensitive bastards like their parents, lol. And do I ever say anything ? Hmm. Well, I am from NJ, if that answers the question.

 

[mistysue]

It happens to strollers like crazy too. Just like with ECV's everyone is quick to say it's all your fault, they fall in your lap then accuse you of using a device as a battering ram. We use a double stroller at Disney can at least twice a day people walk sideways into our stroller, then glare or get mad at us.
Then there are the people who cut you off in every crowd. Part of that I think is people feeling like they are more nimble so taking advantage that they can easily get in front of you.

 

[StageTek]

You may be surprised to hear that even those of us walking get run into by people walking.

We all have stories, don't we?

The chances that I ran into you, Tozzie, on my last trip are... well... astronomical, but if it WAS you I accidentally ran into then I apologize. I know I was probably the five or sixth that day. I wasn't looking and I should have been. You seemed pretty angry at me and I'm sure my quick, "sorry" wasn't enough as I continued on my way. People in crowds can be pretty awful.

 

[gap2368]

I bump into people/ things all the time, but I do have a disability that make doing even the littles things like knowing how fare to reach to open a door on some days a huge deal.

With that said people in ECV/Wheel chair/ stroller or what ever they have are a lot more dangerous then people walking bumping into someone else. I am not saying that it is one side fault or the other. ( I have been hit before by an ECV standing still along the wall right infant of where the cammal spits at MK, and was yelled at by the ECV driver to watch where I was going) but we all need to slow down watch were we are going. My friend that uses an ECV will stop if someone is not looking at were they are going then they bump into her.

 

[cobright]

The funny thing is, we have the technology to implement collision avoidance systems to ecv and power chairs. Not terribly expensive and very effective. I've developed such a system as an amateur that works surprisingly well (surprised me) and get absolutely zero interest from mobility companies when I have pitched it. It bums me out because it's actually very common for someone to decide against a mobility aid because they are afraid they might hit something. Then Toyota goes and builds a car that will turn the steering wheel for you to keep you in your lane in the highway.

 

[CoolDisneyKitten]

Someone running into you while you're walking is NOT the same as someone running into you while you're in an ECV or wheelchair. My mom uses an ECV at Disney, and people don't get out of the way. They push in front of her, run into her, and generally act like she's not there.

It's ableism, plain and simple. Don't think otherwise.

 

[Hoodie]

Honestly, everyone no matter their mobility needs to look where they are going. Need to look at your phone? Stop for a minute. And not dead center of a walkway, step to the side. And in every day life, not just Disney. I can't tell you how many people I see every day just wander into the street because they are too busy on their phones. If you are moving, look ahead. And not WAY ahead, but where you will be in the next 10 seconds. I saw a ECV/walker collision where they were both at fault. It was one of those moments where you see it about to happen and just can't process it quickly enough to warn anyone. Walker was looking at his phone, completely oblivious to anyone around him. ECV rider was talking to her friend next to her on the left....and slowly drifting to the right and the two collided. Had either looked the direction they were moving, it easily could have been avoided.

 

[Srbright]

I didn't realize how bad it was gor people in scooters until about 18 months ago. I hurt my knee and ended up is a leg brace and on crutches. At Wal-Mart or the mall we would get a scooter.

Being in the scooter magically turned me invisible and damaged my faith in humanity. I would get bumped into, hit with carts, cut in front of, walked across (with me being the one expected to stop). THEN IT GOT WORSE when the brace came off and I didn't "look" injured.

We've always been careful to teach our kids to be careful and respectful to people in the scooter. I cried one day when it was really bad and someone cut me off again and my son said (10 years old at the time) "Mom, that's not fair. You wouldn't have done that to them."

Stacy