Being seen is my big issue riding my Honda Ruckus. I try to stay out of a car driver's Blind Spot. And wear bright colored clothing and hoodie for better visibility to other car drivers and pedestrians.
I’d say my biggest concern are the race car drivers on the road…. Now that I no longer have the protection of a car around me I’m noticing how many people are doing highway speeds on surface streets. And my favorite part is honestly parking, I park anywhere I want now… and no one cares… I’m 100% positive if I had an actual motorcycle the police would not be ok with me parking on the side walk like a currently do when I can’t find a meter.😂
"Safety" on a scooter, or any other motorcycle, is of your own doing.. The single worst thing you can do on a scooter, motorcycle, or even a Ford F350 pickup, is assume that other people on the road will do what they're supposed to do.. The graveyards are full of people who "had the right of way". Learn to control your machine first! Then train yourself to read traffic. This includes reading and deciphering what is going on around you at all times. "Will that person pull out/turn in?" is the numero uno thing to figure to keep from getting killed. Watch people, read their movements, riding a scooter/motorcycle in general is like a martial art. You never quite learning, and if you attention drift/let your guard down, you WILL get your ass kicked..
I just had my scooter for less than a week, and I had a tire blow out at the rear. Luckily it was on a start out on the lights. I wabbled going out, but I took control, and was able to not drop my scooter. Everything was okay. That incident did not scare me away from my scooter. I still love it.
An ACTUAL BLOWOUT iz EXTREMELY RARE!! hopefully you know WHAT led to that *motorcycle tires are ENGINEERED to remarkably stringent standards, largely due to liability
Not only scooters, but smaller, lighter bikes CAN be more safe. Their advantage is ability to maneuver quicker than bigger, heavier bikes. Some might say them being slower is more dangerous, but it’s not. You can brake out of sketchy situations just as easily as throttling out of them like the big bike guys like to do. It all boils down to the rider, not the bike. Situational awareness is king. 99% of accidents are avoidable if you just pay attention 100% of the time.
i always say with mopeds, to be conscious of those around you. luckily my local riding areas are all 30-40 mph zones, so it’s fairly easy for me to keep up with traffic. but that said, sometimes it’s just as well to jump on a main road after a big cluster of traffic has passed then to just stay behind the group. personally i find it a lot safer to react to the idiots in front of you than to manage driving while surrounded by them. lol
Awesome sauce... We have another woman on scooters in the mix. Its been so lonely out here lol. Everything you're saying is so true. Just using common sense can decrease your chance of anything truly bad from happening.
Ramen On Wheels Yes!! I love riding, and we are definitely a rarity. I got so excited when I saw a couple out and about a month ago. They were surprised to see me, too. If I would have had time that afternoon, I would have turned around just to try to chat with them because of her! lol I see solo guys pretty consistently but not a lady!
You have to ride Defensively. Always assume other drivers don't see you. And always lookout for other drivers doing evasive maneuvers like driving in front of you, moving into your lane of travel, and parked cars moving into the travel lane not seeing you.
IMO after the helmet, next purchase should be a hi vis safety vest. Without it you ARE invisible to most car drivers... put on the high vis safety vest, and MANY more of them will see you on the scooter.
If it scares you, don't do it, you're more apt to panic. I bought my wife a Buddy 150 several years ago and she couldn't get past the fear of it. She'll ride on the back though. 2 ducks on a June bug. We loved it but we did upside to a Kymco Grandvista.
I’m also a supporter of full face helmets and full gear on my scooter, I’m in MI where helmets are optional for adults…. And about half don’t wear one…. I do get a little jealous when I see people not sweating like me at traffic lights on hot days…. But then I remember some of the accidents I witnessed as a medic and my jealousy fades 😅. Once my account recoups from my last Shoei purchase I want to get a modular Shoei, it’d be nice to be able just lift open my helmet to get some air when stuck in traffic.
I feel the same jealousy about no helmet & resign myself for the same reasons. However, I got whacked by what I imagine was a dragonfly the other day. It served as a good reminder of how awesome full coverage is. 😂
@@wholeeyschmoley580 I plan to keep my rf-1400 as my primary helmet…. In MI lane filtering isn’t legal and waits at lights get long…. I will tolerate the weight for the breeze while waiting to move again😅
Great video. Keep it coming. I recently, last week, bought a 2020 Kymco Like 150i with Noodoe. It’s been rainy so haven’t been able to ride it much. The videos of the Kymco are from the Philippines mostly but they too are informative.
Ask the experts. Insurance companies have the statistics and use them to price insurance policies. The greater the risk, the higher the premiums. I ride a 51 year old 175cc Honda motorcycle. My premium for full coverage for a year in Maine is $79! That's it. So it can't be all that risky. Bikes under 300cc pay much less in insurance because they are safer than big bikes, so I'm assuming a scooter with a smaller engine would also be safer. I wear a full face helmet, thick leather jacket that is made for motorcycling (vented) and gloves and boots. Stay safe and enjoy life.
Just buying my second scooter as soon as my color comes in (Vespa GTS 300) after using electric rentals in NYC for the past couple years and briefly owning a Chinese battery powered scooter that was recently stolen. Scooter riding feels so much safer for me, despite the inherent risks, because of my ADHD. Way too easy for me to space out while driving a car, had many incidents in the 14 years of owning a car. Being present on the scooter is non-negotiable!
Oh, what color did you go with? I’m glad you found that riding is helping you get around. This is the first I’ve heard this, but I can totally see how you’re more engaged on 2 wheels.
@@ScooterNewbie going with the orange! I hadn’t realized how much it affected me, but I don’t drive a car much these days and when I borrowed my partner’s car recently I caught myself totally spacing out! It was a very familiar feeling, but I hadn’t felt it in a while and since it wasn’t immediately familiar and normal I was able to recognize how dangerous it was. Especially being in NYC. Most of my car owner life was in central FL and Long Island, so not as dense and crazy, but high speed limits combined with adhd was not a great combo. I also find being enclosed in one’s own bubble of a car (similar to strangers posting mean comments on the removed, anonymous safety of the internet) leads to more selfish driving and combative attitudes. It’s easy to depersonalize other drivers when they are in another enclosed box. When you’re out on a scooter, bicycle, or motorcycle, I find that the need for increased awareness of others actions and intentions can increase empathy on the road…although it oftentimes leads to the depressing feeling like so many people are total self-centered jerks because of how little care they seem to give for people who aren’t in their car ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Just this morning in the New York Times: By David Leonhardt Good morning. Traffic deaths are surging during the pandemic. Deepshikha Nag Chowdhury and Aditya Bhattacharya’s son Pronoy Bhattacharya died while crossing the street with his family.Adria Malcolm for The New York Times ‘Social disengagement’ The United States is enduring its most severe increase in traffic deaths since the 1940s. It is a sharp change from the recent norm, too. Deaths from vehicle crashes have generally been falling since the late 1960s, thanks to vehicle improvements, lower speed limits and declines in drunken driving, among other factors. By 2019, the annual death rate from crashes was near its lowest level since cars became a mass item in the 1920s. But then came the Covid-19 pandemic. Crashes - and deaths - began surging in the summer of 2020, surprising traffic experts who had hoped that relatively empty roads would cause accidents to decline. Instead, an increase in aggressive driving more than made up for the decline in driving. And crashes continued to increase when people returned to the roads, later in the pandemic. Per capita vehicle deaths rose 17.5 percent from the summer of 2019 to last summer, according to a Times analysis of federal data. It is the largest two-year increase since just after World War II. Source: National Highway Safety Administration This grim trend is another way that two years of isolation and disruption have damaged life, as this story - by my colleague Simon Romero, who’s a national correspondent - explains. People are frustrated and angry, and those feelings are fueling increases in violent crime, customer abuse of workers, student misbehavior in school and vehicle crashes. ‘Erratic behavior’ In his story, Simon profiles one of the victims, a 7-year-old boy in Albuquerque named Pronoy Bhattacharya. Like Pronoy, many other victims of vehicles crashes are young and healthy and would have had decades of life ahead of them if only they had not been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Pronoy was killed as he crossed the street with his family in December, after visiting a holiday lights display. The driver had run a red light. “We’re seeing erratic behavior in the way people are acting and their patience levels,” Albuquerque’s police chief, Harold Medina, told Simon. “Everybody’s been pushed. This is one of the most stressful times in memory.” Art Markman, a cognitive scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, said that the emotions partly reflected “two years of having to stop ourselves from doing things that we’d like to do.” He added: “When you get angry in the car, it generates energy - and how do you dissipate that energy? Well, one way is to put your foot down a little bit more on the accelerator.” Rising drug abuse during the pandemic seems to play an important role, as well. The U.S. Department of Transportation has reported that “the proportion of drivers testing positive for opioids nearly doubled after mid-March 2020, compared to the previous 6 months, while marijuana prevalence increased by about 50 percent.” (Mid-March 2020 is when major Covid mitigations began.) Other factors besides the pandemic also affect traffic deaths, of course. But those other factors tend to change slowly - and often counteract each other. Improving technology and safety features reduce traffic deaths, while the growing size of vehicles and the rise of distracted driving lead to more deaths. The only plausible explanation for most of the recent surge is the pandemic. Rising inequality Vehicle crashes might seem like an equal-opportunity public health problem, spanning racial and economic groups. Americans use the same highways, after all, and everybody is vulnerable to serious accidents. But they are not equally vulnerable. Traffic fatalities are much more common in low-income neighborhoods and among Native and Black Americans, government data shows. Fatalities are less common among Asian Americans. (The evidence about Latinos is mixed.) There are multiple reasons, including socioeconomic differences in vehicle quality, road conditions, substance abuse and availability of crosswalks. These patterns mean that the rise in vehicle crashes over the past two years has widened racial and class disparities in health. In 2020, overall U.S. traffic deaths rose 7.2 percent. Among Black Americans, the increase was 23 percent. One factor: Essential workers, who could not stay home and work remotely, are disproportionately Black, Destiny Thomas, an urban planner, told ABC News. Another factor: Pedestrians are disproportionately Black, Norman Garrick of the University of Connecticut noted. “This is not by choice,” Garrick told NBC News. “In many cases, Black folks cannot afford motor vehicles.” As Simon’s story notes, recent increases in pedestrian deaths have been especially sharp. The increasing inequality of traffic deaths is also part of a larger Covid pattern in the U.S.: Much of the burden from the pandemic’s disruptions has fallen on historically disadvantaged groups. (Deaths from Covid itself have also been somewhat higher among people of color.) Learning losses have been largest for Black and Latino children, as well as children who attend high-poverty schools. Drug overdoses have soared, and they are heavily concentrated among working-class and poor Americans. As I’ve written before, there are few easy answers on Covid. Continuing the behavior restrictions and disruptions of the past two years does have potential benefits: It can reduce the spread of the virus. But those same restrictions and disruptions have large downsides. Many workplaces remain closed. Schools aren’t operating close to normally (as my colleague Erica Green has described). Millions of adults and children must wear masks all day long. These changes have created widespread frustration and anxiety - and the burdens of them do not fall equally across society. Dr. David Spiegel, who runs Stanford Medical School’s Center on Stress and Health, has a clarifying way of describing the problem. People are coping with what he calls “social disengagement.” - a lack of contact with other people that in normal times provides pleasure, support and comfort. Instead, Spiegel said, “There’s the feeling that the rules are suspended and all bets are off.”
@@ScooterNewbie great idea! I’ve definitely noticed a disturbing increase in people running red lights, speeding down residential streets, being super aggressive towards cyclists, unaware of pedestrians, general road rage, etc…this all makes very sad sense.
Yes! I’d say it’s the most popular, well-known brand. As a matter of fact, I called all scooters Vespas when I started down the scooter path...I thought that was the name of all 2 wheeled motorcycles of that style instead of a brand!
@@ScooterNewbie LOL! he is a retired Toronto police officer who used the scooter to go to and from work... He told me it was for sale and I showed interest so he gave it to me. BadAss Black! BUT the cheap b@stard did not give me any BBQ! As a former big bike owner, I think the Harley Davidson helmet goes nicely with it! I can not stand the tone of the horn so I am looking into ways I could hide a train horn in the body. (making scooters badass, one scoot at a time!)
@@Jacques_Merde 😂 My husband is a train mechanic, and he has talked about upgrading my horn since I love to honk at texting drivers. You have no idea how much I love this!
Literally just came across Your channel. Liked and subbed. Will be getting my 125 scooter next year🥰 an aprilia sr gt 125. All the best. Love from the UK 🇬🇧👍😁
Appreciate the support! Love to hear that the scooter community grows 1 by 1!! I haven’t had access to Aprilia, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on what drew you to one!
I ride on 55 mph highways on my Metropolitan all the time. I just watch my sideview mirrors. I just wave people around me. If a semi comes,I just pull over and let them go by.
I think I was 51 when I traded in my yamaha V-Star 1300 for my 1st scooter a Honda pcx 150. That I kept for about a year then got my 2nd Scooter now a Suzuki Burgman 400 and this Thing is a Blast to Ride
Scooters are safe , they have been around before any Japanese bike ever hit our shores , some have taken them around the world other a continent , the maxim issimple know your machine and ride accordingly, and some riders of big bikes should learn also , to often bravado takes over brains
I use my phone on a mount if I need to, but I’m tempted to get the helmet communication for turn by turn audio queues instead (it’s bad for your camera to use your phone on a mount).
@@ScooterNewbie I have a 2018 silver Suzuki Burgman 200. Was the only color choice that year in the USA. My favorite color scooters are anything light and visible. Had several smaller scooters before this. I have no fear of riding a scooter or motorcycle. Just wear a helmet, gloves and light colored clothing. Top speed on my scooter is about 78 mph. Your emphasis on safety is very good. I feel the same way. Glad you started a scooter channel. I love them.
Same here with the light visible! If you can turn a head, that driver isn’t on their cell! 😂 🛵 💨 Thanks for the support! I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to chat with other scooter folks!
Man it's about time for a American kymco like 150i video lol....most the other ones on here are foreign cant understand what the say... I just bought a pearl white one back in august... nice scooter for the money
@@ScooterNewbie I like it.....still kinda in the break in period at 700 miles but still pretty peppy for a 150 cc I took it up to 64mph just for a sec though lol....i wish they had more accessories for it i cant seem to find any on Ebay or kymcos website
@@heytodd53074 I ordered a Givi case, and I’ll post about it when it comes in & get it installed. I agree that it’s a pain to find Kymco specific stuff.
If we try to mention all the things you need to observe to be a good motorcycle driver, I guess we'll need to write a book... Just open your senses at 120% and ride defensively. Try to predict what other drivers are about to do and keep your distance from other vehicles. Always wear a good-quality helmet a motorcycle jacket and gloves. Be aware of wet or shiny pavement. Always check on your mirrors and Have Fun!!! ❤🛵
What concerns do you have about riding a scooter? I'd love to know!
Being seen is my big issue riding my Honda Ruckus. I try to stay out of a car driver's Blind Spot. And wear bright colored clothing and hoodie for better visibility to other car drivers and pedestrians.
Great advice!! I was just looking at adding some more reflective items to my scooter this morning!
I’d say my biggest concern are the race car drivers on the road…. Now that I no longer have the protection of a car around me I’m noticing how many people are doing highway speeds on surface streets.
And my favorite part is honestly parking, I park anywhere I want now… and no one cares… I’m 100% positive if I had an actual motorcycle the police would not be ok with me parking on the side walk like a currently do when I can’t find a meter.😂
You are so right about the speed demon cars! Are the drivers around you good about putting their phone down at least?
Whisky Throttling.
Bought my first scooter at 60 and I m now a female 80 on my 3rd scooter still love it and ride all the time in Canada.
I absolutely love to hear you’re scooting for a solid 20 years + female + when you started riding! Inspiring! 💕 What are you riding these days?
@@ScooterNewbie 2007 Honda Jazz 4,000 Km,
Oh my goodness that is a cute scooter!!
goals
I want to be just like you when I grow up! Midlife gal here who cries at the mere thought of ever giving up riding a scoot. You're my inspiration ❤
"Safety" on a scooter, or any other motorcycle, is of your own doing..
The single worst thing you can do on a scooter, motorcycle, or even a Ford F350 pickup, is assume that other people on the road will do what they're supposed to do.. The graveyards are full of people who "had the right of way".
Learn to control your machine first! Then train yourself to read traffic. This includes reading and deciphering what is going on around you at all times. "Will that person pull out/turn in?" is the numero uno thing to figure to keep from getting killed. Watch people, read their movements, riding a scooter/motorcycle in general is like a martial art. You never quite learning, and if you attention drift/let your guard down, you WILL get your ass kicked..
I just had my scooter for less than a week, and I had a tire blow out at the rear. Luckily it was on a start out on the lights. I wabbled going out, but I took control, and was able to not drop my scooter. Everything was okay. That incident did not scare me away from my scooter. I still love it.
I’m glad you are ok & not scared away! How in the heck did that happen to you?! I hope it’s repaired & you’re on your way already! Be safe out there!!
An ACTUAL BLOWOUT iz EXTREMELY RARE!! hopefully you know WHAT led to that *motorcycle tires are ENGINEERED to remarkably stringent standards, largely due to liability
Not only scooters, but smaller, lighter bikes CAN be more safe. Their advantage is ability to maneuver quicker than bigger, heavier bikes. Some might say them being slower is more dangerous, but it’s not. You can brake out of sketchy situations just as easily as throttling out of them like the big bike guys like to do. It all boils down to the rider, not the bike. Situational awareness is king. 99% of accidents are avoidable if you just pay attention 100% of the time.
i always say with mopeds, to be conscious of those around you.
luckily my local riding areas are all 30-40 mph zones, so it’s fairly easy for me to keep up with traffic.
but that said, sometimes it’s just as well to jump on a main road after a big cluster of traffic has passed then to just stay behind the group.
personally i find it a lot safer to react to the idiots in front of you than to manage driving while surrounded by them. lol
Bwahaha! You’re speaking my language, “...idiots in front of you...”
Awesome sauce... We have another woman on scooters in the mix. Its been so lonely out here lol. Everything you're saying is so true. Just using common sense can decrease your chance of anything truly bad from happening.
Ramen On Wheels Yes!! I love riding, and we are definitely a rarity.
I got so excited when I saw a couple out and about a month ago. They were surprised to see me, too. If I would have had time that afternoon, I would have turned around just to try to chat with them because of her! lol I see solo guys pretty consistently but not a lady!
@@ScooterNewbie Cool beans, looking forward to seeing your channel grow.
You have to ride Defensively. Always assume other drivers don't see you. And always lookout for other drivers doing evasive maneuvers like driving in front of you, moving into your lane of travel, and parked cars moving into the travel lane not seeing you.
Survival instincts i learned over time for the past 14 years of scooting around in India.
IMO after the helmet, next purchase should be a hi vis safety vest. Without it you ARE invisible to most car drivers... put on the high vis safety vest, and MANY more of them will see you on the scooter.
That is an awesome idea. I’m thinking of buying a scooter & if I do, I’ll definitely wear a hi-vis vest! Whatever I can do to be safer!
If it scares you, don't do it, you're more apt to panic. I bought my wife a Buddy 150 several years ago and she couldn't get past the fear of it. She'll ride on the back though. 2 ducks on a June bug. We loved it but we did upside to a Kymco Grandvista.
I’m also a supporter of full face helmets and full gear on my scooter, I’m in MI where helmets are optional for adults…. And about half don’t wear one…. I do get a little jealous when I see people not sweating like me at traffic lights on hot days…. But then I remember some of the accidents I witnessed as a medic and my jealousy fades 😅. Once my account recoups from my last Shoei purchase I want to get a modular Shoei, it’d be nice to be able just lift open my helmet to get some air when stuck in traffic.
I feel the same jealousy about no helmet & resign myself for the same reasons. However, I got whacked by what I imagine was a dragonfly the other day. It served as a good reminder of how awesome full coverage is. 😂
Modular type M0ST heavy tho
@@wholeeyschmoley580 I plan to keep my rf-1400 as my primary helmet…. In MI lane filtering isn’t legal and waits at lights get long…. I will tolerate the weight for the breeze while waiting to move again😅
@@saresasmith absolutely do whatever is best for your situation 👌
The traveling at speeds that match traffic is a good tip. People where I live drive at least 10 over the speed limit .
Great video. Keep it coming. I recently, last week, bought a 2020 Kymco Like 150i with Noodoe. It’s been rainy so haven’t been able to ride it much. The videos of the Kymco are from the Philippines mostly but they too are informative.
Thanks, Andre! What convinced you to go Noodoe? What color did you get?
@@ScooterNewbie I got the candy red color. Noodoe was the only version the dealer had, but that’s what I wanted for the navigation.
Ask the experts. Insurance companies have the statistics and use them to price insurance policies. The greater the risk, the higher the premiums. I ride a 51 year old 175cc Honda motorcycle. My premium for full coverage for a year in Maine is $79! That's it. So it can't be all that risky. Bikes under 300cc pay much less in insurance because they are safer than big bikes, so I'm assuming a scooter with a smaller engine would also be safer. I wear a full face helmet, thick leather jacket that is made for motorcycling (vented) and gloves and boots. Stay safe and enjoy life.
Just buying my second scooter as soon as my color comes in (Vespa GTS 300) after using electric rentals in NYC for the past couple years and briefly owning a Chinese battery powered scooter that was recently stolen. Scooter riding feels so much safer for me, despite the inherent risks, because of my ADHD. Way too easy for me to space out while driving a car, had many incidents in the 14 years of owning a car. Being present on the scooter is non-negotiable!
Oh, what color did you go with?
I’m glad you found that riding is helping you get around. This is the first I’ve heard this, but I can totally see how you’re more engaged on 2 wheels.
@@ScooterNewbie going with the orange! I hadn’t realized how much it affected me, but I don’t drive a car much these days and when I borrowed my partner’s car recently I caught myself totally spacing out! It was a very familiar feeling, but I hadn’t felt it in a while and since it wasn’t immediately familiar and normal I was able to recognize how dangerous it was. Especially being in NYC. Most of my car owner life was in central FL and Long Island, so not as dense and crazy, but high speed limits combined with adhd was not a great combo.
I also find being enclosed in one’s own bubble of a car (similar to strangers posting mean comments on the removed, anonymous safety of the internet) leads to more selfish driving and combative attitudes. It’s easy to depersonalize other drivers when they are in another enclosed box. When you’re out on a scooter, bicycle, or motorcycle, I find that the need for increased awareness of others actions and intentions can increase empathy on the road…although it oftentimes leads to the depressing feeling like so many people are total self-centered jerks because of how little care they seem to give for people who aren’t in their car ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Just this morning in the New York Times:
By David Leonhardt
Good morning. Traffic deaths are surging during the pandemic.
Deepshikha Nag Chowdhury and Aditya Bhattacharya’s son Pronoy Bhattacharya died while crossing the street with his family.Adria Malcolm for The New York Times
‘Social disengagement’
The United States is enduring its most severe increase in traffic deaths since the 1940s.
It is a sharp change from the recent norm, too. Deaths from vehicle crashes have generally been falling since the late 1960s, thanks to vehicle improvements, lower speed limits and declines in drunken driving, among other factors. By 2019, the annual death rate from crashes was near its lowest level since cars became a mass item in the 1920s.
But then came the Covid-19 pandemic.
Crashes - and deaths - began surging in the summer of 2020, surprising traffic experts who had hoped that relatively empty roads would cause accidents to decline. Instead, an increase in aggressive driving more than made up for the decline in driving. And crashes continued to increase when people returned to the roads, later in the pandemic.
Per capita vehicle deaths rose 17.5 percent from the summer of 2019 to last summer, according to a Times analysis of federal data. It is the largest two-year increase since just after World War II.
Source: National Highway Safety Administration
This grim trend is another way that two years of isolation and disruption have damaged life, as this story - by my colleague Simon Romero, who’s a national correspondent - explains. People are frustrated and angry, and those feelings are fueling increases in violent crime, customer abuse of workers, student misbehavior in school and vehicle crashes.
‘Erratic behavior’
In his story, Simon profiles one of the victims, a 7-year-old boy in Albuquerque named Pronoy Bhattacharya. Like Pronoy, many other victims of vehicles crashes are young and healthy and would have had decades of life ahead of them if only they had not been at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Pronoy was killed as he crossed the street with his family in December, after visiting a holiday lights display. The driver had run a red light.
“We’re seeing erratic behavior in the way people are acting and their patience levels,” Albuquerque’s police chief, Harold Medina, told Simon. “Everybody’s been pushed. This is one of the most stressful times in memory.”
Art Markman, a cognitive scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, said that the emotions partly reflected “two years of having to stop ourselves from doing things that we’d like to do.” He added: “When you get angry in the car, it generates energy - and how do you dissipate that energy? Well, one way is to put your foot down a little bit more on the accelerator.”
Rising drug abuse during the pandemic seems to play an important role, as well. The U.S. Department of Transportation has reported that “the proportion of drivers testing positive for opioids nearly doubled after mid-March 2020, compared to the previous 6 months, while marijuana prevalence increased by about 50 percent.” (Mid-March 2020 is when major Covid mitigations began.)
Other factors besides the pandemic also affect traffic deaths, of course. But those other factors tend to change slowly - and often counteract each other. Improving technology and safety features reduce traffic deaths, while the growing size of vehicles and the rise of distracted driving lead to more deaths. The only plausible explanation for most of the recent surge is the pandemic.
Rising inequality
Vehicle crashes might seem like an equal-opportunity public health problem, spanning racial and economic groups. Americans use the same highways, after all, and everybody is vulnerable to serious accidents. But they are not equally vulnerable.
Traffic fatalities are much more common in low-income neighborhoods and among Native and Black Americans, government data shows. Fatalities are less common among Asian Americans. (The evidence about Latinos is mixed.) There are multiple reasons, including socioeconomic differences in vehicle quality, road conditions, substance abuse and availability of crosswalks.
These patterns mean that the rise in vehicle crashes over the past two years has widened racial and class disparities in health. In 2020, overall U.S. traffic deaths rose 7.2 percent. Among Black Americans, the increase was 23 percent.
One factor: Essential workers, who could not stay home and work remotely, are disproportionately Black, Destiny Thomas, an urban planner, told ABC News.
Another factor: Pedestrians are disproportionately Black, Norman Garrick of the University of Connecticut noted. “This is not by choice,” Garrick told NBC News. “In many cases, Black folks cannot afford motor vehicles.” As Simon’s story notes, recent increases in pedestrian deaths have been especially sharp.
The increasing inequality of traffic deaths is also part of a larger Covid pattern in the U.S.: Much of the burden from the pandemic’s disruptions has fallen on historically disadvantaged groups. (Deaths from Covid itself have also been somewhat higher among people of color.)
Learning losses have been largest for Black and Latino children, as well as children who attend high-poverty schools. Drug overdoses have soared, and they are heavily concentrated among working-class and poor Americans.
As I’ve written before, there are few easy answers on Covid. Continuing the behavior restrictions and disruptions of the past two years does have potential benefits: It can reduce the spread of the virus. But those same restrictions and disruptions have large downsides.
Many workplaces remain closed. Schools aren’t operating close to normally (as my colleague Erica Green has described). Millions of adults and children must wear masks all day long. These changes have created widespread frustration and anxiety - and the burdens of them do not fall equally across society.
Dr. David Spiegel, who runs Stanford Medical School’s Center on Stress and Health, has a clarifying way of describing the problem. People are coping with what he calls “social disengagement.” - a lack of contact with other people that in normal times provides pleasure, support and comfort. Instead, Spiegel said, “There’s the feeling that the rules are suspended and all bets are off.”
I read this in my email this morning & am making a short form thing about it!
@@ScooterNewbie great idea! I’ve definitely noticed a disturbing increase in people running red lights, speeding down residential streets, being super aggressive towards cyclists, unaware of pedestrians, general road rage, etc…this all makes very sad sense.
I suggest you watch DANCING WITH MONSTERS cadwell park 2021
Question from italy, are there any vespas around in the us
Yes! I’d say it’s the most popular, well-known brand. As a matter of fact, I called all scooters Vespas when I started down the scooter path...I thought that was the name of all 2 wheeled motorcycles of that style instead of a brand!
I am in Canada, My cousin just gave me his 2011 Vespa LX ie 150 with a whopping 6,335 KM on it... like new!
Whoa! I need to talk to my cousins. I get BBQ from time to time but no scooters!! 😂
@@ScooterNewbie LOL! he is a retired Toronto police officer who used the scooter to go to and from work... He told me it was for sale and I showed interest so he gave it to me. BadAss Black! BUT the cheap b@stard did not give me any BBQ! As a former big bike owner, I think the Harley Davidson helmet goes nicely with it! I can not stand the tone of the horn so I am looking into ways I could hide a train horn in the body. (making scooters badass, one scoot at a time!)
@@Jacques_Merde 😂 My husband is a train mechanic, and he has talked about upgrading my horn since I love to honk at texting drivers. You have no idea how much I love this!
Literally just came across
Your channel. Liked and subbed. Will be getting my 125 scooter next year🥰 an aprilia sr gt 125. All the best. Love from the UK 🇬🇧👍😁
Appreciate the support! Love to hear that the scooter community grows 1 by 1!!
I haven’t had access to Aprilia, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on what drew you to one!
Excellent videos. I want to buy a Vespa in the near future.
I ride on 55 mph highways on my Metropolitan all the time. I just watch my sideview mirrors. I just wave people around me. If a semi comes,I just pull over and let them go by.
"60% fatalaties on a scooter are those that are not wearing a helmet. Wear a helmet. "
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Safer than a motorcycle! I fell once and if it was a motorbike instead... I would’ve broken my ankle or knee for sure
Whoa! I can’t even imagine!!
Great idea about the decals!
I think I was 51 when I traded in my yamaha V-Star 1300 for my 1st scooter a Honda pcx 150. That I kept for about a year then got my 2nd Scooter now a Suzuki Burgman 400 and this Thing is a Blast to Ride
Wow! The Burgman sounds like a sweet spot from the 1300 to the 150! That Burgman is soooo smooth, too.
Omg I love the dragons!!! Too freaking cute!!! I'm all about all the gear, all the time, head to toe. I need to find some reflective dragons...
You're the first I recall commenting on the dragons, so thank you!
Where’s your decals from?
I make some, and I have a few shops favorited for when I don’t have the skills or time. 😂 www.etsy.com/people/c33kdc8a/favorites/be-seen?ref=profile
Scooters are safe , they have been around before any Japanese bike ever hit our shores , some have taken them around the world other a continent , the maxim issimple know your machine and ride accordingly, and some riders of big bikes should learn also , to often bravado takes over brains
I like scooters more cuz where I live (Serbia) i can legally drive it at age 14
Wow! Be careful out there!
Do you put GPS on your scooter?
I use my phone on a mount if I need to, but I’m tempted to get the helmet communication for turn by turn audio queues instead (it’s bad for your camera to use your phone on a mount).
Nice color scooter
Thanks! What colors are you eyeing? Or what color do you have if you have a scooter already?
@@ScooterNewbie I have a 2018 silver Suzuki Burgman 200. Was the only color choice that year in the USA. My favorite color scooters are anything light and visible. Had several smaller scooters before this. I have no fear of riding a scooter or motorcycle. Just wear a helmet, gloves and light colored clothing. Top speed on my scooter is about 78 mph. Your emphasis on safety is very good. I feel the same way. Glad you started a scooter channel. I love them.
Same here with the light visible! If you can turn a head, that driver isn’t on their cell! 😂 🛵 💨
Thanks for the support! I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to chat with other scooter folks!
Never forget safety gloves.
Great content
Thanks, Dan! Do you ride already, or are you thinking about it?
I think the question should be are you safe to drive a scooter? 😎
alle beste vriendin schooter newbie van wesley de jong 😘😘
Man it's about time for a American kymco like 150i video lol....most the other ones on here are foreign cant understand what the say... I just bought a pearl white one back in august... nice scooter for the money
That’s a gorgeous color! How are you liking yours so far?!
It’s funny you mention it cause I have a vid on it that I need to upload.
@@ScooterNewbie I like it.....still kinda in the break in period at 700 miles but still pretty peppy for a 150 cc I took it up to 64mph just for a sec though lol....i wish they had more accessories for it i cant seem to find any on Ebay or kymcos website
@@heytodd53074 I ordered a Givi case, and I’ll post about it when it comes in & get it installed. I agree that it’s a pain to find Kymco specific stuff.
@@ScooterNewbie cool thanks
Nothing that's exciting is safe
scooters and motorbykes are equal to cars cuz u either get thrown or you walk away
...email subscriber-&-♠️ pilot...APPRECIATE your enthusiasm 👍 😀 🙏 🙌
If we try to mention all the things you need to observe to be a good motorcycle driver, I guess we'll need to write a book... Just open your senses at 120% and ride defensively. Try to predict what other drivers are about to do and keep your distance from other vehicles. Always wear a good-quality helmet a motorcycle jacket and gloves. Be aware of wet or shiny pavement. Always check on your mirrors and Have Fun!!! ❤🛵