Tips for Safe Light-Wheeling

by Jim Mikles
April 2002

One of the most enjoyable aspects of light-wheeling is the experience of quiet speed, rolling along effortlessly in the open air with the ground a silent blur beneath you. If you don't watch out for that bump in the road, you could wind up with a bruise or worse. Following posted speed limits and obeying all traffic laws is important for all motorists, but most driving laws are made with heavy, high-speed vehicles in mind and the prudent light motorist is especially aware of the dangers inherent in their endeavor.

Be Defensive
With electric powered vehicles, whether it's a scooter, a bicycle or a car, the main difference is how much quieter it is than a regular automobile. There's no explosion happening under the hood to generate the vehicle torque. Even if you use a gas-powered standing scooter, your motor is much quieter than most. Your vehicle will often be without a horn to notify your larger road compatriots of their vehicular transgressions. You will also typically lack the speed to gun your way out of trouble. As a light motorist it behooves you to be especially defensive in your driving tactics.

Defensive driving is all about anticipating what the other motorist is going to do first and being ready to take appropriate actions to avoid a collision. If you ride a bicycle, you are already familiar with this practice. Be especially aware of car doors suddenly opening into the streets or sidewalks in front of you and of vehicles making rolling right hand turns when they are legally supposed to come to a complete stop and wait. You could be cruising along, driving straight ahead, minding your own business with every legal right-of-way, and still pay a nasty price. If it comes down to a question of right-of-way, you aren't in much position to argue if you're a splat on the ground.

Use Appropriate Safety Gear
Giving them perhaps more credit than they are due, let's assume that most internal combustion motorists would make the appropriate decisions about yielding to the light-wheeled right-of-way if they just knew you were there. The ubiquitous bicycle safety flag is the sign of a light-wheeled defensive driver that motorists can see from quite far away. If you are concerned about the safety flag geek factor, swap the traditional orange flag for something more expressive of your personality or that matches your ride. Lay some reflective tape on the flag post and on the vehicle frame to reflect car headlights in low-light situations. Mom's childhood advice to wear light-colored clothing when biking at dusk works for light-wheelers too. If white is not your thing, you can make your standard earth-tone wardrobe safer by strapping reflective bands on your pant legs.

Of course if you plan on driving in the dark, you want reflectors and a headlight at the very least. Street legal electric cars and light electric vehicles need all the safety accoutrements that make them such, including blinkers, mirrors, brake lights and headlights.

To maximize your chances of staying upright and being able to stop in time to avoid disaster, make sure your vehicle is in good working order. Brakes, steering mechanisms and tire pressure are areas of particular concern for safety's sake. Another good rule, especially with scooters, is to periodically check with your vehicle manufacturer or the Consumer Product Safety Commission about potential defects and recalls. In 2001 alone the CPSC recalled over 200,000 scooters for safety defects. Most were push models, but some were electric or gas-powered.

It almost goes without saying that a helmet is standard wear for any type of scooting or e-bicycling. A good bicycle helmet is probably sufficient for scooting or e-biking at speeds up to 20 mph. If you like to get a little crazy off the curbs and gutters, or if you tend to fall down frequently for whatever reason, then elbow and knee pads might be a comforting addition to your scooter gear. If you drive a motorized scooter or moped, then a motorcycle-class helmet is recommended, and in some states required.

Shoes might seem to be another no-brain consideration as standard gear, but especially with scooters, bare feet and open-toed sandals, while they may be convenient, leave too much vulnerable flesh exposed in case of even a minor dismount. Eyewear is also advised.

When it comes to equipment, it pays to be sensible and remember that according to the CPSC, over 60 percent of injuries attributed to scooters in 2001 (including electric and gas-powered) could have been prevented with the use of the right safety gear.

Road Conditions
When the weather turns wet, the light electric vehicle (or LEV) would probably be your vehicle of choice if you had a choice. It has three or four tires for stability and basically provides the all-weather convenience of a standard automobile, keeping the weather off and maybe even pumping some heat into the passenger compartment.

If your electric or gas standing scooter is your only option and you've got to go, then be sure to use slower speeds and be especially careful in wet turns and corners. Other dangerous road conditions for electric scooters and other two-wheeled light vehicles such as e-bikes and gas-powered seated scooters include sand and loose gravel. Avoid them when possible and go slow and easy if you can't.

Riding Techniques
Riding techniques and standing posture are especially important when riding a powered standing scooter. While everyone's riding style will be a little different, the fundamental techniques are the same.

According to the Go-Ped gas-powered scooter Website, poor riding postures include the "Sidewalk Surfer," or standing with the toes facing the side of the deck. While this is a great stance for surfing or skateboarding, where you steer with a weight shift, it's a poor stance for a scooter with the handlebars in the front, where you steer with the bars. "Twisting your body is not a good technique, it is a bad habit,” says Go-Ped.

The "T-Hugger" is another example of poor riding posture where the feet, body and the entire weight of the rider are-up-front hugging the handle. According to the Go-Ped site, "This not only looks stupid, it is extremely dangerous to distribute weight so poorly. One bump in the road and this guy is in a full no-handed, pavement-eating scorpion slide."

A good stance includes feet facing front with weight evenly distributed and complete control. "Comfort," say the Go-Pedders, "is the key."

Road clearance is another safety fact to be aware of. Small-wheeled scooters can scrape their underside when descending a curb, thereby throwing the rider from the scooter. This is potentially painful on a push scooter, which more commonly has smaller wheels, and it can be extremely serious at the higher speeds possible on a powered, standing scooter.

Speed, Route Choice & Parking
Speaking of speed, this is an area that applies to all light-vehicles. While none of them goes much faster than 25 or 30 mph, try hitting the pavement or running into a car moving at that speed and see how much consolation that provides. Not to put a damper on cruising. That's the fun part after all. Just use common sense. The rule of speed is to always keep it in control for your conditions.

If your conditions include lots of fast-moving traffic, maybe you need to select a route that doesn't have as many cars. Light-wheels aren't about getting there the fastest means possible; its about using an economical, responsible and fun means to get around.

Once you arrive, you should be aware that parking your light vehicle is different than parallel parking a car. Scooters will often have the same restrictions as bicycles-many establishments won't allow them inside and you'll want to store your ride securely in a place that doesn't block streets or sidewalks. The bike rack is always a good option. For LEVs, even though they are smaller than a full size car, it will probably still be treated by any local parking enforcement as a single vehicle, so even if you can squeeze it into an extra small space, beware of potential parking ticket situations.

At home, the best place to park your light wheels are probably in your garage or under a covered carport, to keep them secure and safe from weather.

Jim Mikles is a Calif.-based freelance writer.

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