Is a Scooter Right for You?

Is a Scooter Right for You?

Are you a vision of stunning rebellion, espirit de corps, and motorbike de mode, as you ride your Vespa along Central Park West, on your way to lunch at Tavern On The Green? Or are you perhaps the 5 O' clock shadow man on a Yamaha Nouvo, with slicked back hair and dark sunglasses, dropping your girlfriend off at band practice? Perhaps one of these persons is like you, but there are a number of great reasons to own a scooter, some of which are rather romantic and others that are more practical, that have nothing to do with long flowing scarves and black leather pants…

Avoiding Traffic

If you live in Los Angeles for example, a scooter is a great thing to have because of the intense traffic and congestion. It is a good idea when driving to an appointment in LA, to at least double your estimated travel time to account for the completely immobilized- gridlock of cars and endless waiting at the traffic light turn-lane signals. A scooter is a great solution for getting around in environments such as these, and reduces the air pollution as well.

Save Money

Cutting back on car costs is probably the number one reason most people opt for scooters over driving a vehicle. Sales of scooters increased dramatically when the gas prices started going through the roof back in 2005, causing truck and SUV owners to cringe at the gas station. Depending on the state you live in, scooters do not require a great deal of insurance coverage, but coverage such as liability and uninsured/underinsured motorist, is very inexpensive and might cost around $100 per year.

Personal and Environmental Health Benefit

Scooter drivers for the most part derive a sense of emotional and physical freedom in both feeling and movement, improving overall mental outlook. Driving and balancing a scooter requires a greater amount of physical maneuvering than does a motor vehicle, and while riding outdoors, drivers are exposed to the fresh air and vitamin D laden rays of yellow sunshine. Riding a scooter is considered to be a low impact exercise that strengthens the neck, legs, knees, thighs, core muscle strength, and burns calories. Physical movement and guidance of the scooter into a parking space for example, also increases the aerobic movement and weight-loss benefit.

Piaggo Group Americans Inc., the company that makes Vespas, says that if everyone drove a scooter for 10% of their everyday travel, they would reduce CO2 emissions by 324 million pounds per day and also decrease gas consumption by 14 million gallons per day. Scooters built after 2006, produce 72% less CO2 then motor vehicles. Still many people insist that an electric scooter is the best way to go in the interest of protecting the environment, since electric scooters run on batteries and do not use fossil fuels. E-scooters, for example can normally travel about 20 to 30 miles without needing a charge, and e-scooters are portable so that they can be brought along for travel in cars, busses, trains, etc.