ECV related... Probably going to get flamed, but I need to say this.

[Michigan]

Weekends until March 9th at Sea World are Bands, Brew and BBQ. You have no idea how many people under the influence are driving an ECV. We watched a woman with a glass of beer in one hand try to figure out how to back her EVC up and park it. It was no different then watching a drunk park a car.

As far as people with their kids on their laps, we saw a woman that was letting her grandson drive it go right into a bunch of parked strollers. I would love to volunteer as a person that takes pictures of these idiots and gives them to the rental places if the rental places enforced their policy of not other riders.

 

[Danadanes]

The manual wheelchair as slalom skiier is one of the funniest visuals I can imagine. Thanks for the laugh!

 

[Pooh2]

No flames here either! We've seen more than a few careless ECV drivers. My husband got his ankle clipped by a lady who yelled at him over her shoulder without slowing down.

 

[HopperFan]

The manual wheelchair as slalom skiier is one of the funniest visuals I can imagine. Thanks for the laugh!

I stopped dead and am sure my mouth was so wide open you could have put an apple in it. As they flew around the corner, all I could do was imagine her coming loose and then what.... if she's lucky, no casualties and butt up in the bushes.

 

[HopperFan]

I didn't know that it's against policy to have children on for the "ride"?? I definitely would have demanded a CM to do something.

"Electric vehicles must be single-rider and are not to be used to carry passengers."

It's dangerous and reckless to carry children on the vehicle, to the child and the guests around them.

 

[Talking Hands]

IF YOU DRIVE AN ECV, BOTH HANDS ON THE VEHICLE. NO TEXTING OR TALKING ON THE DARN CELL PHONE. . Sorry for caps but it needs to be said. Someone is going to get hurt terribly. Just back from an amazing week in WDW. Just wanted to throw this out there. My 10 year old DD ankle was nearly crushed under an ECV in DHS. And I was rammed into in MK .Here's the shortened version. While we were in One Man's Dream in DHS my DD was stopped to look at a model of DR and woman who was screaming in the phone (one hand holding the phone, one on ecv) rammed into my DD. My DD cries out and fell into me, I watched this woman roll up because you can hear her yelling into the phone in this rather quiet attraction and honestly thought she would not hit us. But as her voice grew, she awkwardly jerked the ecv right into my DD. The woman then had the nerve to tell my DD to "watch out" and then glare at me. I leaned down and quietly told the woman to A. don't talk to my child that way and B. she needs to get off of the phone and operate the ecv properly. A CM came over who witnessed the whole thing and told the woman to please be more careful and wait to use the phone until she exits . My DD came home with a nice ankle bruise. It was pretty sore.
My experience was almost identical. A woman on an ecv with 2 twin boys (about 2ish) ON THE ECV with her rammed into my hip. Guess what??? The cell phone was to her ear as well. One hand steering, the 2 twins (one kinda sitting and the other standing) and she was allowing the one to basically steer with his two hands. It probably looked hilarious. .. I flew into the bushes. But, no apology. A dirty look from this one too and a " you were in my way" . Huh??? I was walking on a sidewalk and your glorified stroller checked me NFL style from behind while YOU WERE ON THE CELL PHONE....
Bottom line. Just like a car, you need both hands on the ecv. There's a lot of people and kids around you and you should have both hands on it. If not, have the one hand then and concentrate and pay attention. Before I get flamed, I'd say 90% of ecv riders are careful and thoughtful. But I witnessed at least a dozen type incidents, most of which involved a cell phone. And then to watch the attitude that followed most of these incidents was that of anger directed at the person or persons walking.... flame away but this needs to be addressed.

FYI a scooter needs 2 hands to steer but a power wheelchair does not. You need to be aware of you surroundings with ether. So do pedestrians. Don't stop short in front of an ECV. They have no brakes. Braking is passive. Remove hand from power and ECV stops.

 

[SMD]

I still remember when another site posted a picture of someone using the standing ESV and he had 1 hand on the steering column and the other was holding an iPad.
http://www.mouseplanet.com/10411/Disneyland_Resort_Update#news2

 

[Talking Hands]

Hopefully someone from disability can answer this, but I thought it was against Florida state law to have children riding ECV"S ? The person who ran over a child should have been detained and police called.

No it is not Florida law. In fact we have a few kids at my school who use ECV (scooter and power chair) My grandsons occasionally ride my power chair with me if it is us alone.

 

[Talking Hands]

Hopper Fan it is a policy and not a law and Disney can really only enforce it with people who rent from them. Off site places also have the policy but how can Disney enforce it when the ECVs do not belong to them. And for those of us who our mobility devices Disney doesn't say anything to us. That said, if we own our mobility device who know how to handle the times when we need to allow a child to ride with us. If it is just me and a grandchild it sometimes becomes necessary rather than try to hold a hand or a harness leash so the child doesn't run away. I'll be glad when my youngest grandson doesn't need to ride my chair with me. BTW my 3 1/2 yo grandson can drive my chair on his own but the 1 1/2 not yet. He will learn in time.

 

[stitchlovestink]

FYI a scooter needs 2 hands to steer but a power wheelchair does not. You need to be aware of you surroundings with ether. So do pedestrians. Don't stop short in front of an ECV. They have no brakes. Braking is passive. Remove hand from power and ECV stops.

I have to say I disagree with the statement that it takes 2 hands to steer an ECV. I think it depends on the model and the driver and how experienced the driver. My model is set that I can do every operation with my right hand. I have more than adequate control with my right hand....so much so I can Open a door that requires PULLING it open without ANY assistance. I can move forward, back up and steer all using just my right hand while using my left to open the door and hold it while I drive thru. I have had many people comment that they were amazed that i was so self sufficient with doors. So not everyone needs' both hands. But I would venture to say more people do than don't and a lot of that is due to inexperience. I also tend to only drive using one hand.
And just an additional FYI...unless the Law has changed since last October (2013), it is NOT illegal to drive a car while on a handheld cell phone in the state of Florida. Texting, YES...talking on your handheld cell while driving, No.

 

[HopperFan]

Hopper Fan it is a policy and not a law and Disney can really only enforce it with people who rent from them. Off site places also have the policy but how can Disney enforce it when the ECVs do not belong to them. And for those of us who our mobility devices Disney doesn't say anything to us.

I never said it was a law nor did the person who I was responding to, they said policy. I took that quote from the Disney policy on this board's sticky.

Personally I believe that if it is Disney policy then they can enforce it with any ECV being used on their property. It's not a matter of the equipment but a matter of the expected behavior. I believe it should be enforced. It's dangerous.

 

[livndisney]

Hopper Fan it is a policy and not a law and Disney can really only enforce it with people who rent from them. Off site places also have the policy but how can Disney enforce it when the ECVs do not belong to them. And for those of us who our mobility devices Disney doesn't say anything to us. That said, if we own our mobility device who know how to handle the times when we need to allow a child to ride with us. If it is just me and a grandchild it sometimes becomes necessary rather than try to hold a hand or a harness leash so the child doesn't run away. I'll be glad when my youngest grandson doesn't need to ride my chair with me. BTW my 3 1/2 yo grandson can drive my chair on his own but the 1 1/2 not yet. He will learn in time.

Actually Disney can enforce the no "rider" policy even for ECV's they don't own. WDW is private property. They make the rules.

 

[monorailsilver]

I have a very disabled son who may one day have to do Disney in a wheelchair so I try to have empathy as well but it is getting very difficult with each trip. I just returned from a week and the number of children on ECVs either on laps or standing on the back or both at the same time was incredible. One man with two loaded on his was talking to a CM asking directions. You don't know how hard it was to not stop and say to that CM - are you going to tell him to get those kids off the ECV? Several people were going so fast - I honestly didn't know they went that fast. One trip a man was on an ECV and his wife behind him in a manual. Not too far because she was bungee corded to him. He was flying and as he turned corners she would fly out to the side like a water skier. I couldn't believe what I was watching. No one said a word. One time Grandma had two on the ECV with one driving. They proceeded to completely knock down and drive over another grandchild. At that point Grandma, Grandpa, Mom and Dad had a huge shouting match while kid screamed. Disney needs to take control of the situation and charge the CMs that for safety reasons they need to speak to everyone driving unsafely. I will also add I saw several people driving with great care but they seemed to be the minority last week of the renters. The persons who use them outside of Disney are almost always great drivers, following rules and maintaining safe speeds. Unfortunately it seems most renting them do not have the ability to drive them nor find a need to follow safety rules.

To the OP I applaud you in coming on this forum and telling your story. You are a way bigger person than I because if that had been my DD, when the CM came over I would have asked her to call security and keep the woman there. I would have then filled a complaint report getting all the woman's personal and insurance information. What if there was something wrong with my child's foot, you can be sure I would turn over all information to my insurance company for collection of fees from her. Your story is clearly one of negligence on her part, if she was not willing to disclose then I would have asked about pressing charges.

How true is that!

My FIL nearly ran me over in the grocery store. He is no longer alive but when he was, we were both in the grocery store. I saw him but he never saw me. I made sure of that after he put the stores scooter in reverse and nearly ran into me. He never looked back. He didn't use a scooter/have one at home.

As far as Disney, I never have had a problem with scooters, w/c's or strollers.wait no there was a stroller incident in the 90s.

I was thankful last August when we were in the MK and I was sitting on a bench with my 7yo in tomorrow land while my dh and other 2 did the astro orbiter. Some lady in a scooter was on high speed and her eyes were looking straight ahead. She was aiming for SM FP. I hope she didn't run into anyone.

On the flip side, same trip last August, we were at the hub if Main Street waiting for wishes. A man and his grand dtr/companion/helper came near me in his scooter. I let him go next to me since I could easily stand behind my kid and still see.

All good, right? Well this jerk with his Disney rented double stroller that was holding his huge cooler came right in front of us, well more so the man in the scooter, and put his dd on his shoulders. I could see the scooter man (I should just call him Phil, as in "the scooter" Phil Rizzuto) get ticked since his view was blocked. Me being me said something to scummy with the cooler and Phil was thankful to me and my witchy self.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Actually Disney can enforce the no "rider" policy even for ECV's they don't own. WDW is private property. They make the rules.

TRUE enough. However they do not have a written policy or set of rules regarding any regulations on privately owned ECVs which would include children riding as a passenger or even Being the principal driver of said privately owned ECV. Not to say they couldn't institute one, but currently there is none in place. Personally I don't see this happening as they don't even enforce the rules on their own rentals! Last June, I saw 4 members of management (not plain CMs but managers!) walk by a woman driving a WDW rental in Epcot with a sleeping baby in her arms, and NOT ONE of them said a word to her! They watched her and just kept moving about their own business. Sad!!

 

[livndisney]

TRUE enough. However they do not have a written policy or set of rules regarding any regulations on privately owned ECVs which would include children riding as a passenger or even Being the principal driver of said privately owned ECV. Not to say they couldn't institute one, but currently there is none in place. Personally I don't see this happening as they don't even enforce the rules on their own rentals! Last June, I saw 4 members of management (not plain CMs but managers!) walk by a woman driving a WDW rental in Epcot with a sleeping baby in her arms, and NOT ONE of them said a word to her! They watched her and just kept moving about their own business. Sad!!

I have seen them enforce the rule. Not often enough, but CM's have been known to tell guests "one person per ECV". As recently as last month, I saw a CM tell a guest "no lap sitting" on an ecv. It was an outside rental.

 

[stitchlovestink]

I have seen them enforce the rule. Not often enough, but CM's have been known to tell guests "one person per ECV". As recently as last month, I saw a CM tell a guest "no lap sitting" on an ecv. It was an outside rental.

Yes but all outside rentals have rules about 'passengers' pretty much identical to WDW's rules. One rental agreement I read said if they received a 'complaint' about rule breaking and specifically used the passenger rule or allowing a minor to drive the rented ECV, you (the renter) "could" be subject to them revoking the rental and there would be No refund. I think this was "written in" more as a scare tactic because I would surmise that they would need some hard factual proof to break the contract and not have to refund the renter's money.
WDW's stance (so I have been told by more than one member of management) is not to tell guests how to use their personally owned equipment. I would venture to say if Disney saw a true problem with this, they would truly do something about it like they did with getting segways banned from their parks...Important enough to make them take action for the safety of other guests.

Can they? Absolutely! Are they likely to? I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to institute rules on the privately owned ones.

 

[seenellie81]

I am sorry that you had these incidents with ECV users. I would have been upset as well. I know that i have been upset when strollers have been bashed into the back of my legs. Either a parent not paying attention or a child pushing their own stroller and they cant see over the top of it so they dont know someone is in front of them. I travel the parks with my husband who has to use an ECV, you would not believe the amount of people that jump out in front of him when he is just strolling along. I am not saying that in the OP incidents thats what happened, however some of the responses seem to group all ECV users together.
A few things to think about... When an ECV has to stop quickly because someone has stepped in front of it, it causes a jerking which can send the user into pain. Often the slightest bit of jerking causes alot of pain for someone who is just trying to enjoy the park with their kids or family.
I understand no kids should ride on the ECV, and mine never have done so. But i often think about the single parent or grandparent who is in need of an ECV and takes their child to the park. What are they to do? Should they tow a stroller behind them? I don't know that i have the answer for this, i just think that i cant judge them because i really don't know what i would do in this situation. Its not ideal for someone to have a child on an ECV however its not always feasible to have another person with them and they deserve the right to enjoy the park as any other "walking" guest. Its like when we are boarding the buses and you have the people that say things because we get on first, DH kindly reminds them yeah we are on first but off last, by the time he gets unloaded from the bus the rest of the people are already to the gates. Its so easy to judge people with out taking the time to put yourself in their shoes.
Every person has a unique situation and "story". Some bad seeds are mixed in with alot of good ones.

 

[Chuck S]

I understand no kids should ride on the ECV, and mine never have done so. But i often think about the single parent or grandparent who is in need of an ECV and takes their child to the park. What are they to do? Should they tow a stroller behind them?

That rule is as much for the safety of the child as it is for all the other guests. If child is being held and the ECV hits a bump, goes off the edge of a curb or has to make a quick stop, that child can be seriously hurt or even killed if the ECV rolls over. If a quick stop has to be made, a child's head can slam into the control yoke. If someone not paying attention while taking a photo backs into an ECV and lands in the lap of the driver, again a child can be seriously injured. So yes, someone in an ECV should probably take someone along in the interest of their own child's safety. I've seen an ECV roll off the edge of a curb, injuring the adult. Fortunately there were no children involved.

No one foresees these accidents happening to them any more than we foresee ourselves in a serious car crash. But it can happen.

 

[ttintagel]

Even those of us who know how helpful and necessary ECV's in the parks are in general, and know how much of the moral panic one often hears about them is just ableist privilege talking, have seen the occasional act of stupidity on wheels. Probably the same percentage as acts of stupidity on feet, but more visible.

On my last trip, there was a family of five piled on one ECV, going at top speed around and around the 1950's pool at Pop Century one morning. Sure, it was less crowded than the main pool, but it was still an accident waiting to happen.

(And it was the morning after a man collapsed on the balcony opposite ours and was taken away by paramedics - I can't swear to it, but it really looked like the sheet was over his face. I just wasn't in any mood to see people putting their lives and those of their children in danger.)

 

[OurBigTrip]

Even those of us who know how helpful and necessary ECV's in the parks are in general, and know how much of the moral panic one often hears about them is just ableist privilege talking, have seen the occasional act of stupidity on wheels. Probably the same percentage as acts of stupidity on feet, but more visible.

"Ableist privilege"? Oh no, now I have yet another "-ism" that I have to worry about.

Wonder if there's an app for that?