The Best Scooter Safety Modifications and Gear

Scooters are a fun, safe, economical form of transportation in and around town. They can also be very dangerous. As more scooters hit the road, motorists are becoming more aware of our presence. With a few modifications to your scooter and to your riding gear, you can help them spot your scooter. Motorcyclists have had these challenges for over a hundred years. What can we learn from them?

Wear a High-Visibility vest
Lose your superhuman powers of invisibility. A bright yellow high visibility vest may look nerdy but people will notice you! It dramatically cuts down on cars pulling out in front of you. A vest works great on hot summer days and it will fit over a winter coat. If you are in the military, you will need one of these to ride your scooter onto base. ICON Motorsports makes a nice Mil-Spec vest with storage pockets.

Install and use a turn signal buzzer
Turns signals on a scooter don't automatically turn off like a car. If a car thinks you are turning, it may pull out it front of you. A buzzer will loudly sound until you turn off the signal. The parts can be bought from Radio Shack for less than ten dollars. Ask your scooter forum about installation and necessary parts.

Wear a White helmet
Wearing a helmet is a matter of personal choice and state laws. Statistics have shown that riders who wear white helmets are 33% less likely to be involved in crashes. White sharply contrasts against black pavement. As your head is the highest point while riding, you are more likely to be seen. Full-face helmets provide much more protection than half-helmets or three-quarter helmets.

Take a MSF course
A Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course will teach you the fundamentals of safe riding. These courses are beneficial to veteran riders too. You may just get an insurance break too! Scooter specific classes are showing up in more markets as their popularity rises.

Install and use an air horn
Be heard. Honking may just prevent someone from pulling into your lane or out in front of you. Buy a Stebel Nautilus dual tone air horn and make motorists think a freight train is about to run over them.

Install a brake light modulator
People are into multi-tasking in their car. Scooterists have been killed when motorists have failed to notice them stopped at a traffic light. Brake light modulators can be purchased online and are easily installed. A popular model with scooterists and motorcyclists is the BackOff brake modulator.

Have a bright halogen headlight
Not all scooters come stock with a halogen light bulb. It's a cheap inexpensive upgrade. It's now also possible to purchase bright LED lights for many scooters. Ask your scooter forum which works best for your model.

Install a windscreen
Stop rocks, bugs, and road debris from hitting you. It's possible to duck behind it and deflect many items. It can even work when people throw drive-thru drink cups at you from cars.

Wear riding gloves
They'll pad your hands from road fatigue and protect you in a crash. They are also great when trying to dig a wasp out of the inside of your helmet without getting stung. Great sunburn protection too! Buy a well fitting model as they can move around in crash.

Riding scooters to work, around town, and in scooter rally's is a ton of fun. Riding any two-wheel vehicle on the road puts you into a more vulnerable position than other motorists. A few simple scooter modifications and safety gear can make your scooter riding a much safer experience.