Scooter rider saving gas and having a little fun.

by Nancy Mak
(Boulder City, NV, USA)

First things first, I get it, scooters and motorcycles are not the same. In the town I live in, lots of us found scooters and golf carts and small electric vehicles really helped when the gas prices went up. I found a way to afford a used Derbi moped kind of scooter that was made in Barcelona and I have saved some gas money as well as wear and tear on my little truck, a Ford Ranger. It can go up to 65 mph and is sturdy and solid when I am out with the tourist cars and trucks in our lake town. It's also just a lot of fun to get around on. I don't need to call attention to myself, I am just friendly, so I am always surprised by the cold shoulder most motorcycle riders give me when we end up close to each other on the road. I don't get it, does my little bike look like a joke or will I ruin the rep of the biker crowd? Seems to me when I am in my truck and I am kind and careful of bikers, they treat me like an angel. Then I am at my house and I think of something I need from the store so I run over on my scooter and I am growled at by bikers as they pass me.
I think anyone out in the weather on a bike, no matter how big it is, should be given a higher standard of courtesy on the road if only for the degree of damage a fall can do to their body, not to mention their vehicle. In fact I have a few habits as a driver, in my truck, that I wish more people would practice.

1. When you are stopped at a light and a bike pulls up behind you, take off carefully when the light turns green. They have been sitting there in the heat and exhaust from your vehicle and your quick take off could compromise them more.

2. If you drive a clutch like I do, you know that occasionally a little gravel can kick up upon take off. The biker will get hit with that gravel, be careful.

3. When a biker is on the road behind you and you are coming to a light, pull to the other lane, if you can, so they can see that they can be first in line while you all wait for the light change. The exhaust won't be in their face that way.

4. When you come upon a group traveling together and you see them get separated by traffic, slow down and allow them to get the group back together. They know how to protect each other and are easier to see when they ride in a formation of some kind.

5. Get a grip on reality. No matter what you believe, an accident with someone on a bike will always end with harm to the biker but your car or truck will most likely save you. Slow down around bikes and be glad they are conserving gas. Your big vehicle may suit you better but the bikers are people with lives and loved ones. Someone is waiting for them to come home, just like you.

6. Here's one for the bikers, too. Those of us trying to conserve gas and save cash by riding scooters are at just as much risk as bikers and if we go down we will be scraped and broken and in need. Just give a grin now and then and maybe go a little slower knowing we are not going to be on the highway with you, we are just getting around our town and we have to get home safe, too.