Since their creation, scooters have always offered their riders a combination of fun and a little bit of risk. Nowadays, we have electric scooters, which have all the same fun characteristics but an increased risk factor.
The reason the risk factor increases is that electric ones are motorized, meaning that they’re capable of reaching faster speeds, which results in worse consequences if you fall off. However, like kick two-wheelers, you can equip yourself with knowledge and safety equipment to ensure your riding safety.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to stay safe while you ride an off-road electric scooter.
What Are the Different Types of Scooters?
In the broad sense, there are two types of scooters designed to handle specific terrains. A scooter design is to be used in an urban environment, and one is to go off-road. Then there are ones in between designed to handle a bit of both. Before choosing a suitable scooter for off-road or city use, you must understand the environment you’ll be riding in. Here’s what you can expect:
When Riding in the City
Let’s say, for instance, that you live in Kings Cross, Sydney. On a day-to-day basis, you’ll be faced with traffic, road stops, and pedestrians on the side of the road. You need to know how to travel in this area without causing an accident or hurting yourself. To do that, having a decent knowledge of the road would help, as well as being attentive while you ride.
When Riding Off-Road
Off-roading, on the other hand, is a different ball game entirely. Generally, off-road vehicles will have larger tires, more ground clearance, and slightly more power to help them overcome obstacles.
While out adventuring, expect certain challenges to come your way. There might be rough terrain that catches you by surprise or encounters with wildlife that you weren’t expecting. The key to successfully navigating the outdoors is to always be prepared.
Safety Tips
Safety should always be a concern when riding an electric vehicle of any kind. However, in this case, it is even more so because of how exposed you are on a scooter. Here are some safety tips to help you use the two-wheeler safely:
Essential Safety Gear
Whether you’re tackling the outdoors or the concrete jungle, safety gear will be your saving grace, literally. The safety gear you use for an electric scooter is very similar to what you use on kick scooters. Here’s a basic list of the essentials:
A helmet to protect your head if you have an accident. Make sure your helmet fits well while being equally comfortable.
Thicker clothing is optional but ideal. While it may seem like a good idea to hop onto your scooter in some boardies and a vest, these clothes won’t protect you one bit if you’re in an accident. Rather, get a thicker jacket, wear closed shoes, and have a pair of jeans on.
What’s the body part that usually takes the brunt of a fall? Your hands. It’s natural for us to put out our hands to break our fall. Unfortunately, this often leaves them injured.
Putting on a decent pair of gloves can change that, though.
Here, you can see that the trend of e-scooters and bikes is constantly rising.
What to Check Before Riding
Once you’ve got all of your safety gear sorted, then you’ll want to do a simple check of the scooter to ensure it’s suitable to ride. Check things like tire pressure, brakes are working, and there’s enough juice in the battery to get you from A to B without running out.
How to Safely Ride Off-Road
Taking a scooter off-road is a thrilling experience! It’s the perfect companion for tackling fun challenges outdoors. There are a few key things that you need to remember while riding an e-scooter off-road.
For example, to maintain balance and control, you’ll need to shift your body weight, particularly if you go over soft sand. Likewise, be always focused on what’s in front of you and further ahead of you. If you see that you’re approaching rough terrain, slow down. If you hit it too hard, you could damage the scooter or cause an accident.
Always be on the lookout for rocks, roots, or anything that could risk you having an accident, too. Don’t try to run before you can walk. There are going to be some challenges that you aren’t ready for yet. Rather than wait, develop your riding skills and try it at another stage. Finally, often off-roading involves riding on one-way footpaths.
This means that sooner or later, you’ll encounter oncoming traffic. The way this usually works is that anyone who has space to move over should do so. So, if you have space and the other person doesn’t, allow them to move past you and vice versa.
DID YOU KNOW? In 2022, 61% of crash fatalities were passenger vehicle occupants, 18% were pedestrians, 15% were motorcyclists, 3% were bicyclists, and 2% were occupants of large trucks.
How to Safely Ride in the City
Electric scooters are quickly becoming a popular solution for urban travel because they’re small, lightweight, and easy to navigate through traffic. Not to mention, they also cost very little to run. The key to riding in the city is to know the road rules and signals, stay in your lane, and avoid getting distracted.
City life can be busy, and if you lose concentration for a second, you could be in an accident. A healthy way to tackle urban travel is to practice defensive driving like you would in a car.
Final Thoughts
In the next ten years, we will likely see more and more scooter use. From a convenient means of urban travel to the adrenaline junkies’ vehicle of choice for adventuring, one thing still remains constant, which is that safety matters. Practice these scooter safety tips while riding, and you should significantly reduce your risk of being in an accident.
