It’s that time of year again that can look quite beautiful over the weeks with the leaves changing colour and eventually falling and that feeling of change, the shedding of natures work in preparation for the winter ahead.

Depending on where you live and the amount of trees around, the build up of leaves can be quite substantial, and if the majority of leaves are not falling onto open soil then it can take a little longer for the leaves to break down if they don’t get cleared up first.

While using your mobility scooter and seeing a coating of leaves up ahead of you on the pavement may not pose much of an obvious problem, it’s what lies underneath the leaves that you cant see which may inconvenience you.

We’re not talking serious danger here, just the types of things that you would otherwise avoid on a clear pavement.

Although quite harmless, it can be more difficult to spot dog muck between all of those leaves, this wont really cause you any problems but if you don’t notice that it is on the tires and it gets taken indoors then this is slightly unpleasant of course.

There’s also the possibility of broken glass or other sharp objects, which wont be an issue for you if the tires on your mobility scooter and not inflatable but it might lead to a puncture on others.

Sometimes the leaves are totally covering the pavement, taking to the road may not be an option so at times you’re forced to ride through and over the leaves, there may be a dip in the pavement, even one that you have been aware of at other times but it can be difficult to know where it is when you cant see the pavement and only the mass of fallen leaves.

When you will find it a little more dangerous is when the leaves begin to get broken down and are soaking wet, this can sometimes create a slippery coating on the pavement surface and extra care should be taken if you’re ever travelling over a surface like this.

The autumn can be a great time of the year on the dry days when you can feel the freshness in the air and get to experience the wonderful colours of the leaves that the trees begin to shed, seeing those gorgeous reds, yellows, golden browns and shades in between.

We don’t associate leaves as posing any danger to us, and on their own they really don’t, it’s just when you have a build up of them over the ground that you’re travelling on, whether dry or wet that you need to practice caution, knowing that the leaves can hide unnoticeable inconveniences underneath.

You can also read more about general mobility aid use outdoors during the autumn at Adapting To Mobility Aid Use For Autumn And Winter.