Everywhere you look, there are students buzzing to and from class on scooters of assorted colors, makes, models and sizes. Together, they hum like an approaching cloud of locusts. They stack up at red lights next to each other, begging for a 30 mph race. Rarely are the drivers wearing helmets. Neither are the passengers. In fact, many student scooter drivers display flagrantly unsafe habits, following too closely and riding next to each other in the same lane. The bottom line is, if you’re on a two-wheeled vehicle, you should at the minimum be wearing a helmet. It could save your skin, and more importantly, your life.
One afternoon four years ago, Marion Rose Harvey stopped her scooter at a red light on 34th Street. She was minding her own business, at a standstill, as a car approached behind her. The car did not stop. The light did not change. Harvey was caught in a rear-end collision between a Toyota Camry and a GMC pickup truck. The crash wasn’t Harvey’s fault, but that didn’t matter. She sustained traumatic injury and later died in the emergency room. The anniversary of her death is next week on Monday.
Harvey’s death was not common. There have been no scooter fatalities in Gainesville since her death.
Scooter crashes, on the other hand, are extremely common. There have been 79 scooter crashes in Gainesville this year alone, according to data gathered by Sgt. Summer Kerkau from GPD’s traffic unit. More than 50 of those crashes ended with an injured rider or passenger. Still think it can’t happen to you?
You might think so. If you feel comfortable on a scooter, you may think you’re skilled enough to drive in flip-flops and athletic shorts. Ray-Ban sunglasses will suffice for eyewear even though they aren’t shatterproof. They fit in with your nonchalant look. After all, if you can turn on a dime and execute low-speed maneuvers flawlessly, why wear a helmet? It’s hot. Helmets are uncomfortable in the heat. Why get to class with sweat-drenched hair when you can get a free, mid-speed blow-dry?
Skill aside, if you are involved in a crash, it probably won’t be your fault. When four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles collide, motorists driving cars and trucks are usually at fault, according to a Florida Department of Transportation study. They fail to yield the right of way to smaller vehicles. Sometimes they just won’t see you on your tiny scooter with one dim headlight. Many times they are texting and driving, so they won’t slow down if you happen to pull into traffic in front of them. You can be the best scooterist on the planet and could still be at risk.
You should consider going through a safety course to learn how to avoid a crash. That includes knowing how to swerve safely to avoid a car that pulls out in front of you when you’re at full throttle barreling down Southwest 34th Street. It includes knowing how to make an emergency stop. While wearing a helmet is the first step to arriving safely, the next best thing you can learn is how to position yourself on the road so that other drivers can see you better. The knowledge that you would pick up in a safety course could save your life, according to data from multiple studies.
The single best thing you can do to protect yourself is buy a helmet and wear it. Ideally a full-face one. Do not end up like Abner Miguel Rubio Estrada, 23, who died after crashing his motorcycle without a helmet on Clark Butler Boulevard last month.
Scooter drivers can’t reliably stay safe on confidence alone. Buy a helmet. Take a course. Your life is worth more than the embarrassment of helmet hair.
