A guide to using scooters safely, for parents, kids, and all scooter users!
Speedy, non-motorized form of transportation, their resurgence on the scene has allowed us to zip around towns and cities without even so much as a puff of harmful, polluting emissions, and get a little bit of exercise while we do it! And what else has been able to pry young people away from TV sets and video games so effectively, and encourage them to get outside and be physically active?
The fact is, scooters are like any other piece of sporting equipment; they can be used and used safely, but you need to take proper precautions. Here are a few easily digestible guidelines for scooter safety that everyone who uses scooters should observe:
Follow these scooter safety tips to make your gas scooter ride safe and enjoyable.
Know Your Motor Scooter
Familiarize yourself with your motor scooter before you ride. Read and understand the instruction manual and observe all safety and warning labels on your motor scooter. Check the controls. Ride very cautiously until you become familiar with the way the scooter handles. Take turns slowly and give yourself extra stopping distance.
Prepare To Ride
Your personal equipment and good judgments are the only protection you will have. A safe rider makes a point to:
- Wear the proper clothing/pads including helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, wrist guards, gloves and shoes
- Check the scooter's equipment including the nuts and bolts, steering, brakes and controls, frame (for stress and fractures) and tires (for wear)
Obey Traffic Rules
Do not dart out of driveways or from between parked cars. Stop at all stop signs. Be careful when checking traffic and don't swerve when looking over your shoulder. Always go with traffic flow and keep to the far side of the road. Always wear your safety gear. Never ride on sidewalks.
ALWAYS use a helmet, kneepads, and elbow pads.
This is a small investment - only about $35 - and can instantly eliminate almost two-thirds of possible scooter accidents, including most of the most serious ones. In many states, provinces and regions throughout the world, law requires these!
Children under eight should always be supervised when using scooters.
Almost a third of all scooter-related injuries and accidents involve children under the age of eight. As everyone knows, scooters are capable of traveling very quickly, and children that age do not always have the judgment or coordination to handle these high speeds.
Use scooters in a safe places.
Cars and scooters don't mix, especially for younger riders. Smooth, paved surfaces are best - avoid bumpy, uneven, wet or rocky ones. Schoolyards, parks, paved trails are examples of safe places to "scoot"! And, on sidewalks, be especially careful for pedestrians, who always have the right of way.
Always observe the basic rules of the road anywhere you use scooters.
As scooters can travel as fast as many other types of vehicles, motorized and non-motorized, they too must observe the rules of the road. These include:
- Stop at every stop sign. Look left, right, and left again before proceeding.
- Stop at the end of the driveway. Look left, right, and left before entering the street.
- Use proper hand signals.
- Obey traffic signs and signals.
Do not ride a scooter at night.
When it is dark out, there are just too many things that can easily upset your balance and cause you to fall. Therefore, no one should ride scooters at night.
