Everyone gets nervous about doing something for the first time, even when we don’t want to admit to others that we feel a little nervous about something that’s completely new to us, inwardly we still feel that bit of anxiety.

The fact that you feel that way though is actually a good thing, it just means that you are concerned enough about doing things properly and that you care for your own safety and that of others too.

Before long, any nervousness soon fades as you get used to using your mobility scooter and become comfortable with it.

Until you get used to it though, it can help to follow a bit of advice which I will provide here in order to help build your confidence so that you become fully comfortable with using your mobility scooter.

Also remember that how long it takes will differ for each person, it might just take all of 5 minutes for you to lose your nerves, a day or maybe a few weeks, that’s fine, because eventually you will no longer feel nervous about using your mobility scooter and can get on with enjoying the mobility and independence that a mobility scooter provides.

Follow these tips and advice to lose your nervousness and build your confidence using your mobility scooter.

1. Familiarise yourself with the controls and how to stop the mobility scooter before using it.

2. Have an experienced person with you to help get you used to using your mobility scooter, if at all possible.

3. If you can, have a relative or friend take you and your mobility scooter to a quiet, flat grounded area that will allow you to practice using the mobility scooter, possibly a disused area of tarmac that is without debris.

4. If its your very first time, try to choose a dry day so that you don’t have the worry of wet ground to concern yourself with.

5. Make sure that you feel comfortable, make any necessary adjustments, being positioned properly and being comfortably seated can make a huge difference to how in control you feel.

Once you have got used to the basics and get used to the feel of the steering, the speed and starting and stopping safely, then its a good idea to practice things like going from pavements onto the road to cross over a road and back onto a pavement on the other side.

Do this when you feel more confident and more at ease, don’t force yourself to do anything too soon and before you’re really ready to.

You might surprise yourself though and be comfortable and confident using your mobility scooter sooner than you expect to.