Wheelchairs and motorised scooters on the road

Safety tips

Plan to try to avoid major roundabouts, peak hour traffic, or busy roads.
Make yourself as visible as possible, wear bright clothes or attach a flag or something reflective to your chair/scooter.
Use your seat belt if you have one.
Before crossing always check to see you can access to the footpath on the other side.
Never cross the road where you can’t see the oncoming traffic.
Use the shortest possible path to cross the road.
Try to cross the road at traffic signals, designated pedestrian crossings or an intersection with Stop or Give Way signs.
If the intersection or roundabout is too hazardous, it may be worth taking a different route.

General rules

If you use an electric wheelchair or electric scooter that doesn’t go over 10km/h, you should follow the road rules for motorised wheelchairs in WA (which class you as a pedestrian).

So if your wheels can’t exceed 10km/h, and you have a physical disability, the rules say you can ride on:

Footpaths.
Shared paths.
The pedestrian section of a separated footpath.
In shopping centres.
In public places.

Remember to:

Keep to the left of the footpath unless overtaking a pedestrian.
Beware of vehicles reversing out of driveways.
Show consideration of other pedestrians, particularly older people or those with a vision or hearing impairment.
Travel no faster than surrounding pedestrians, they may not be able to move out of the way easily (for example in shopping centres).

You can only drive on the road if:

There’s no footpath or nature strip adjacent to the road that you can use.
You keep as far as to the right hand side of the road as you can (facing oncoming traffic).
You don’t travel side by side with more than one pedestrian, unless you’re overtaking.
You move off the road when cars approach and remain off the road until they pass.

Rules on the road

If your wheelchair or scooter can go faster than 10 km/h, it has to be registered as a vehicle with the Department for Planning and Infrastructure before it can be used on the road.

If you have to travel on the road:

Always travel facing toward oncoming traffic.
Show consideration for other pedestrians who are also using the roadway.
Be aware of traffic movements, signals and signs.
Watch out for obstructions in the road ahead such as drains, potholes and parked cars.
When passing parked cars, watch out for doors being opened in your path or a vehicle moving off without indicating.
Take additional care as motor vehicle drivers may not be aware of you, or the rules.

You can still ride motorised wheelchairs on paths, as long as you don’t go over 10km/h.

Wheelchair/ motorised scooter breakdown

What if your wheelchair/ motorised scooters breaks down when you’re out on the road?

Don’t worry – get RAC Wheels2go!

Wheels2go gives you 24/7 breakdown assistance for your manual or electric wheelchair. And if they can’t get your wheels fixed, they can organise a taxi to get to where you’re headed safely.