Look twice for scooters

By Jordan Puyear| gargoyle@flagler.edu

As I stuffed the Goodwill bags in my scooter, I was feeling good after my successful shopping trip. I hopped on my scooter to head back home, and I noticed the cars streaming by. As I pulled out into the traffic, my scooter moved slower than expected, causing a car to zoom around me yelling the one word that you never want to hear from another car. I will give you a hint: It starts with an “F.”

I was trying to keep my scooter steady as my heart started racing and my mind kept replaying that crude word over and over again in my head.

I wondered if I was almost killed on U.S. 1. (Mom and Dad, maybe now is not a good time to tell you to avoid this article).

Honestly, it took me a second to fully calm down from that close encounter and, even though I shouldn’t have, I completely took that driver’s comment personally. I don’t think that driver, or most other drivers for that matter, realize that I am a real person on that scooter.

For many of us on scooters, driving the same roads as cars can be a scary experience.

In January 2015, two moped passengers were seriously injured when a jeep hit them from behind on U.S. 1. The driver of the jeep was completely uninjured. Most car drivers expect scooters to go the same speed as other cars, and because of this, scooters are prone to constant honking, rude comments and near accidents. From personal experience, I am letting all car drivers out there know that we scooter drivers are going as fast as we possibly can.

Many car drivers just see another moving vehicle when it comes to a scooter. However, scooters are extremely open to the surroundings. The scooter is the only thing that is between us and the road, We are more exposed to the intensity of your horn, your comments, and many other distractions that usually wouldn’t affect drivers. If something were to happen, a car might get a dent, but a scooter driver might lose their life.

Since my little incident leaving Goodwill, I have started to understand the intense driving scene we all live in. I realized that everyone is in a hurry, and that they will, most likely not think twice about honking at a scooter on the road. However, not only do cars have to adapt, but scooter drivers have to adapt as well. Wear a helmet, make sure to always check any blind spots, and don’t ever feel pressured by the cars around you. Not everyone is on a scooter.