We must also include electric wheelchairs and mobility vehicles, because those are also "unlicensed, their drivers are uninsured and it’s not uncommon to find them in the middle of the road, or cruising down a city sidewalk".
It probably won't be too long before being allowed to walk or run in any public place becomes an offence while using any form of electrical assistance, so those at risk of being caught will have to make sure they switch off their pacemakers (or remove them completely) before venturing out, or face prosecution....
Actually we are already at many of these places/outcomes...
For example the city I live in bans any wheeled vehicles from public paths, sidewalks, etc. The province left it to the municipalities to decide how to address vehicles in their regions.
As a result in many places in Canada, it is illegal to use a mobility device for legitimate needs... Technically the province, says in such cases, I'm supposed to be a pedestrian on the roadway (facing traffic, on shoulder, etc.)
But even then municipalities can say that vehicles not approved to operate on public highways can't be used on roadways... Thus the moment I wheel out of my home, I'm automatically a criminal no matter what I do...
It's more frustrating when cops stop me to lecture me on being on the roads & breaking the law & how I should be on the sidewalk... How can you be a cop & know nothing of the law you enforce?
I always carry a copy of the ministry of transportation laws saying I'm supposed to be on the road but if the cops a jerk, he will pull out the municipal laws that say otherwise & seemingly trump provincial law because of these fence riding idiots!
As if that's not bad enough, if I take my meds as prescribed, in ways that make me functional & are otherwise lawful; then dare to use my powerchair to have any mobility & not be bed/floor-bound...
I'm also automatically a criminal, even if in my own home, not moving & just in the chair to lessen my suffering... I am a criminal without any rights or freedoms & subject to harsh, cruel, unusual & abusive punishments!
Don't misunderstand me, I do not support impaired driving & I don't care if it's a result of fatigue, stress, drugs, alcohol, distractions, illness, disabilities, etc!
But the reality is, if I didn't take my meds, I would have zero function & I would be impaired! But because I take meds that effect others differently then me, I'm assumed to be impaired when I am actually not!
Besides which, I self regulate, if I can't focus wholly on driving, then I don't go out & drive, no matter what is or isn't in my system! Heck, I voluntarily surrendered my drivers license without having to because I knew I was not safe to drive! That's despite that everyone who knew me swore I was the best, most responsible driver they knew of!
It didn't matter to me, I was not going to put other people in danger just to get my thrills as a driver!
When the time came that I needed a powerchair, I demanded a comprehensive physiological assessment of my abilities to prove I could safely operate it! I also demanded & paid out of my own pocket for a special kill switch/sensor that can tell when I'm not safe to operate it & not allow it to be used!
Yet I am penalized because of my attention to detail! However the blind mother (not a mom or even a women) who ran me down while speeding & then fled the scene, abandoning me to my fate! This blind guy who still had his license because his doctor was too afraid to stand up to him & do his job! Then when he finally was brought before the courts, because he's rich, he sole punishment was he was not allowed to continue driving!!!
Did I miss something? Since when are blind people who can't see a giant brightly lit/decorated powerchair, giant orange/white service dog & person in daylight, allowed to be driving in the 1st place!
What kind of punishment is that? You are not allowed to drive but you drive & your punishment for driving when not allowed to drive is your told you can't keep driving? Obviously they don't care that we say they can't drive, because they continue driving none the less!
He destroyed my life & took away everything I had but he does not even get a slap on the wrist because he's rich?
It's the same with these people who continue to drink & drive despite countless charges & convictions for drink driving! Then they leave the courthouse with a slap on the wrist & get in their cars to drive down to the bar from the courthouse! When is enough, enough?
Yet, they are so obsessed with the disabled touching a drop of alcohol or people who care about the environment, choosing to be the example/ stimulus for change the world desperately needs?
Is it perhaps that their guilty conscience won't let them sleep easy! Perhaps, they hope that if they remove all those pesky reminders of their own malfeasance & corruption, they will be able to ignore the tell-tale heartbeat of their own guilty conscience?!?
Adam
