Mopeds

[ctg492]

I ride a Moped, have since 06. I hope to be always very respectful of the traffic around me. Both for their sake and Mine. I have studies the laws of our area and wear a helmet. i am not foolish for one moment and realize that many of not most drivers think I must be crazy and am taking up valuable road space. Having said that, I have every right to be on the roads that are allowed by law for me to be on.
In Mich in the last couple years Moped registrations have gone through the roof. There are now 90,000 registered, a few years back there were only 40,000. I thought to myself when I started seeing more and more whipping around that the can of worms had been opened. I do not see many wearing helmets(not required)/ following road rules/ or actually being respectful. This past month I read 3 articles in the paper about Mopeds saving Gas/Moped driver Hit/Number of Mopeds on the road. I thought to myself just watch the laws change and restrictions happen Because of the ones that are not following the laws.
Thoughts or noticing of Moped drivers?

[lhamo]

Here in China electric scooters are very common, and very dangerous both to their drivers and to others. They don't handle as well as a motorcycle and really should not be driven at high speeds, but people get crazy on them. The worst is when it has been raining -- they have virtually NO braking power when the wheels are wet, but many people don't seem to realize that. I have seen many, many gruesome accidents.

I have toyed with the idea of getting one for my cross-town commute, but I don't think the stress and the safety risks are worth it. I'd have to give up my main ipod time, and would get to work in a pretty frazzled state, I am guessing, even though I commute very early in the morning.

I have loved vespas since I was in high school, though, so never say never...

lhamo

[Selah]

We are moving to Israel soon, where it often costs as much as $120 USD to fill up a small sedan with gas. We have seriously considered getting a Chinese three-wheeled motorcycle trike instead of a car. Although my husband has had a motorcycle and a scooter in the past, he's had too many crashes and spills to ever want to ride anything unstable like that again. Neither of us wants to burden the other with our deaths or, more likely, incapacitation through closed-head injuries. However, he feels more confident with the stability and width of a trike, which makes it unlikely to tip over and very likely to be seen on the road.

[Alan]

If I were an urban dweller, I'd use a moped exclusively. However, being a suburban dweller who frequently travels on busy highways with high speed limits my best option is a motorcycle, which I use whenever weather permits.

The first thing to remember when traveling on a two wheeled vehicle is to ride defensively. Sadly, many riders feel that they're invulnerable and ride irresponsibly.

As I age, I will eventually reach the point where I won't trust my legs and knees to hold up a nearly 900 pound motorcycle, and when that time comes, I'll have it converted to a trike. I think I'll still enjoy riding this (http://www.hannigansidecar.com/content/yamahatrike.html).

[ctg492]

Oh I would Love to have the {{{nerve}}} for a Motorcycle, I actually think I feel safer on a Moped as I can get to the right and let cars pass.

[fidgiegirl]

I feel the same way about bikers. I am at best only a casual biker but it makes me mad when I'm out driving and see bikers breaking all the rules. It is unsafe because you never know what they will do but can guarantee it will almost always NOT be what they are supposed to do (signal, stop at a stop sign, etc.) So I get your frustration, it must be hard to be the one following the rules and to worry about them being tightened or change to punish the yahoos. It gives bikers everywhere a bad name and makes it hard to do things like get bikeways and whatnot put through. One road was just converted to a bike route in St. Paul and there was a lot of opposition. People I talked to brought up the whole thing about bikers never following traffic rules as a reason not to invite more into their neighborhood.

I saw this recently and your post reminded me of it:
http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/this-biker-says-three-cheers-for-the-nypd.html

[ctg492]

The best one for me was the other day I was on my Bike at a 4 way stop, in the correct lane to go straight, arm out signaling I was stopped, getting ready to cross as it was my turn....I was cut off by a Biker who never stopped at his stop. I just held my arms up in the air at him like "what"!