Are Asian scooters a dangerous thing?

According to a Sunday story in the Chicago Tribune
there is growing concern that the cheaply made scooters being shipped from China and elsewhere to satisfy consumer demand may be creating a safety issue.

Why? Because people see them as easy to ride when in fact they require the same knowledge and experience to properly operate as a motorcycle or full-sized scooter. Honestly, as someone who knows what it is like to be on a tiny vehicle on a major road next to a monstrous vehicle, there is nothing easy about it. According to the Tribune article, the problem is people think it is as easy to ride as a bicycle or car.

Nope! You move your body differently and have to understand how the vehicle's weight shifts affect its manueverability and management.

According to the article by Jon Hilkevitch, "But novice scooter drivers tend to have trouble keeping pace with traffic, making sure they are seen by other motorists, negotiating turns and handling emergency situations, safety experts say."

Cars don't see you, and unless you are conscious of this and know how to react because of the poor driving of others, you're screwed.

What does this all have to do with Asian scooters? Apparently because they are cheap and flooding the market, many more people who wouldn't normally buy one (because they are expensive and most people only shell out for one if they really want a scooter in particular) are doing so, and not realizing the importance of knowing what they are doing on it.

Now, I'm all for people riding scooters more often than cars. They use less gas, take up less space and reduce our consumption of oil. (Need to know why it is bad to consume lots of oil? Look at what that greed has done to the Gulf of Mexico.) I hate seeing people barreling down the road in a vehicle that they drive too fast (because they don't realize how fast they are going in those cush mobiles) and there is no one in the car and no reason for its massiveness other than status or ego.

Get on a scooter and you have to look at other people. You can hide behind tinted glass. In fact, you WANT them to see you. You want them to acknowledge you so they don't accidentally run you off the road.

Riding a scooter makes you friendlier. You wave to other scooter riders and motorcyclists because that is the norm. It also makes life seem a little better, and sweeter and less stressful. But that won't happen if you don't know what you are doing.

Want to get on a scooter? Lured by the cheapness? Take a free motorcycle riders class please. No one wants to hear of a scooter rider getting flattened.