You have probably seen a red-headed girl clad in a red helmet zipping and zooming to and from Grady on a crimson scooter. That’s me. While most students use more traditional methods of travel to get to school, I find scootering to be a more lively alternative.
Despite arriving to school quite chilly on winter mornings, I consider that my scootering commutes to be some of the highlights of my day. I arrive at school refreshed by the crisp air and leave with a warm glow on my back from the afternoon sunshine.
Dedicated scootering, however, is not for the faint of heart. I drive my moped year-round. Oftentimes, I have to drive in the dark, the pouring rain or in sub-20 degree conditions. The combination of high winds and the dresses I wear to school often makes a recipe for disaster.
Numb fingers or not, I always have a clear conscience about my method of travel. My scooter only uses about one gallon of gas for every 70 miles I drive.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, if U.S. cities were made more scooter friendly, our country could reduce 77.3 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year.
VespaUSA Manufacturers, one of the largest scooter companies, measured that an SUV driven for 10,000 miles will emit 9,238 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. A medium sized Vespa, which is larger than my own scooter, will only emit a mere 2,042 pounds for the same number of miles. Due to the fuel I saved in the last year, the scooter has already paid for itself.
Driving a scooter is a win-win situation. It has the maneuverability of a bike, but I don’t have to worry finding the limited supply of bike lanes in Atlanta. I can also pack my moped into tight areas, invaluable for parking in Midtown.
My scooter is equipped like a mini car. To make up for the lack of a trunk, it also has Both my lunchbox and my sports clothes easily fit without weighing dowmy my ride. My scooter has headlights, rear-view mirrors, signals and even a horn. These features allow me to safely whizz down busy streets without feeling claustrophobic when wedged between much larger vehicles.
If scooters are so great, why doesn’t everyone have one? The main reason many parents refuse to even consider buying a scooter for their teens is safety related. When kids think of mopeds they think about elegant Parisians toddling around the Eiffel Tower, whereas parents tend to imagine a free-for-all James Bond-esque chase scene.
Thankfully, my scooter experiences have resembled the former rather than the latter of these two perceptions.
I don’t mean that scooters are not at all dangerous, however. Incompetent drivers, roadside distractions and the possibility of skidding are always hazards. While the same is true for drivers of any vehicle, automobile drivers can more easily overlook a scooter, especially in limited visibility conditions.
To minimize the probability of a collision, I try to avoid traffic-heavy roads, especially during rush hour. In addition to wearing my colorful Department of Transportation certified helmet, I also don a lime green reflective vest when I drive in the dark.
As for skidding, m`y scooter cannot exceed 30 mph. In the unlikely event I were to fall off, I would sustain little more than a bicycle crash type of injury.
For me, the benefits of scootering far outweigh the risks. So, when you’re writing your holiday wish list this winter, include a scooter. It’ll save you money and will also reduce your carbon footprint. Not only will you turn a lot of heads whizzing down the street, you’ll also get the added benefit of looking 10 times cooler than bothersome bicyclists or meddling motorists.
