The Importance Of Scooter Safety

Monday, August 13th 2007, 7:15 pm

By: News On 6

A Green Country man is dead after a scooter accident on a dangerous highway. It happened this weekend along state Highway 97 in Sand Springs. News On 6 anchor Craig Day reports the accident is prompting more safety reminders, especially with the growing number of scooters on the road.

Sand Springs Police say the driver of a scooter lost control on Highway 97, overcorrected into the wrong lane and into oncoming traffic.

The scooter's driver, 27-year-old Benjamin Woodruff, was killed after hitting a pickup head-on. He was wearing a helmet, but the road is curvy and can be dangerous. Police say it was Woodruff's first time on a scooter.

Ed Williams at Precision Scooters fears with the soaring popularity of scooters because of high gas prices, more scooters on the road could mean more accidents.

Williams says the store's employees encourage all new operators to spend their first week driving a scooter or motorcycle to practice in a quiet residential area or empty parking lot.

"Practice emergency stops, and turning and starting and really getting some familiarity before they take the challenges of being in traffic where having an accident is really not an option,â€ Williams said.

Williams also says operators should wear a helmet, get the proper clothing, and take a safety course.

"Rules of the road, riding technique, more importantly riding technique under stressful situations, again it comes back to avoiding an impact,â€ said Williams.

Williams says those precautions, combined with other drivers of cars being more careful, should lessen the risk and prevent some accidents from happening.

"I would suggest, don't be scared of them, but use good judgment, wear protective clothing, get training and drive very defensively,â€ Williams said.

Tulsa Technology Center offers motorcycle rider courses for inexperienced as well as experienced riders. You'll learn more about riding skills, protective gear and improving visibility.

The courses range in price from just $15 up to $200 and may even save you some money on insurance.

For more safety information, click here.

Watch the video: Safety On Scooters