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I've owned a Vespa PX 150 (150 CCs) and have owned several other Vespas in the District since 2000. 50CC scooter owners need to man up, and get their scooters insured and registered. End of story. Insurance is cheap (as low as $50 a year), registration's easy, and the road test in DC is crazy easy.

Theft isn't a problem if your scooter's insured. Stolen? Insurance gets you a new one. More importantly, insurance is key if you get into an accident (judging by the scrapes on the sides of most parked scoots in DC, this is most of you), or if a scooter hits a pedestrian.

What I've noticed is that unlicensed scooterists have a tendency to break a lot of laws. Splitting lanes, not riding in a staggered single file, not wearing a helmet, failing to yield to pedestrians, riding on the sidewalk, etc. Frankly, I see this is a common issue with most bicyclists. There's simply no motivation to follow the law when everyone's breaking it.

Just like scooters, bikes should be registered and insured as well. DC's becoming a more bike reliant city, meaning more accidents and thefts as time goes on. In Europe, where bikes and scooters are commonplace, most cities require 100% registration for both. It tends to cut down on accidents, theft and scofflaw riders.

With the funds from registrations, the city could fund more bike lanes and set up more scooter/motorcycle parking on the street, where they belong. They can also ramp up enforcement, which would get everyone into line.

by EP Sato on Jul 5, 2012 7:10 pm • link • report