I’ve been fascinated by the wheelchair fashion of a number of our locals. Two necessary items they use to decorate their power chairs or scooters are American flags in different configurations and an orange signal flag. Interesting, yes, but not a fashion I necessarily subscribe to. Well, perhaps that might change if the writers to our local papers have their way. This letter to the editor in the Santa Rosa Press Democrat appeared June 16.
Wheelchair flags
EDITOR: I have just viewed an AOL piece about a young man in a wheelchair being caught in the grill of a semi-truck and driven for the ride of his life at about 50 miles per hour in Paw Paw, Mich. As recently as this week, my husband and I discussed mandatory flags on electric or manually-operated outdoor wheelchairs following a near collision with an individual in an electric wheelchair.
Perhaps it should be required that a flag is issued when the chairs are purchased for outdoor use. Let’s hear from you in Santa Rosa — the city that cares! (Not bad for a Santa Rosa slogan.)
BONNIE and LAURENCE (DUSTY) RHODES
Santa Rosa