Modern Vespa

I work as a Fire Fighter/Paramedic for the Lexington, Kentucky Fire Dept, which is the location of the University of Kentucky. This is the first full week of classes and I have noticed alot of small scooters around the city since the students arrived. As the ambulance was pulling away from the University's hospital onto the main 6 lane road, we fell behind a Co-Ed on a small 50cc scooter.

I noticed that she didn't have a helmet on or for that matter any personal protective equipment. Unless, of course, you count the hair beret and flip-flops. As we traveled a mile along the road we noticed that she was a little unsteady and wobbled back and forth within her lane. As she turned onto the street where my station is located she popped up onto the curb and off.

At this point, her erratic driving illicted multiple comments from my young driver, mainly about her lack of speed. We were traveling about 10-15 mph on a 45 mph road. As we approached a smooth railroad crossing, the rider's left leg splayed out and the scooter did an erratic s swerve, almost unseating the rider. I directed my driver to ease back, afraid that the big red official, diesel smoke belching truck was making her uncomfortable and was contributing to her lack of riding skills.

As we continued on for a 1/2 mile, the scooter suddenly started a quick, large s swerve and darted across the on coming lane of traffic. Luckily, there was no oncoming traffc, however the scooter narrowly passed between a parked vehicle and a 8" diameter oak tree, sliding to a stop in the grass, 1' from a surprised home owner seated on his porch.

As we came to a stop, the paramedic in the back of the truck starts howling at the driver, "What did you do! What did you do!" exploiting our assumption that he had original scared her with our vehicle. Of course, He had a view of the scooter rider and was able to see that she was up and ambulatory with no apparent injuries. I called in the accident to our dispatch as my driver and other partner attended to the rider, discovering that the only harm was to her pride and the right rear view mirror. The young rider told us that she had a noticed a flat front tire in the student parking lot and was trying to ride it home that way. Sheesh! 5 miles on 45-55mph multi-lane roadways with a completely flat tire.

After a quick admonishment for not wearing at least a helmet, the rider was released and allowed to walk home, which was, ironically, 5 houses down the street. Here's hoping we all use a little more common sense while out and about on our scooters.

If I am right , you don't have to wear a helmet in KY. People do some of the dumbest things. I sometimes don't wear my jacket in town but I always have my boots, long pants and helmet (law here) on. Anywhere else gets full gear.

I hope the 50cc scooter was totalled or at least was impounded by the police. Sounds like the only mode of transportation she should be using is what god gave her.

Doesn't sound like that would be too reliable, either.

After the first full year of holding your M license, you are allowed not to wear a helmet.

As well, 50 cc scooters don't have to be licensed here.

That is probably true but has little to do with this scenario.

What was the quote from the MP3 review - something about a motorcycle and a moron being a self-correcting situation.

I am going to get slam on this response but here goes anyway.
She should have bumped her head hard enough to knock some sense into it. Not wearing a helmet and a really big no no for even trying to ride anything with a flat tire. I don't understand what some people think sometimes. I have no sympathy for stupidity.

I think it was ignorance rather than stupidity. I suspect the lesson has been learned though...

your probably right on that as a lesson learned we can only hope

It's difficult for girls sometimes. I was lucky, I had a technical education and then I absorbed a lot of stuff from three brothers who were capable but would not help me out, and only enough money to have a succession of old cars I learned that with eight fingers, two thumbs and a brain much like anybody else's much can be fixed. There were tools around and recipe books, sorry, manuals to be read. I had a go

Others are not so lucky. Being treated like a complete idiot for most of your formative years often leads to someone behaving like a complete idiot. This woman needed some gentle education, she needed to be shown she can, for instance, fix a puncture, either temporarily with a can of gunk or permanently.

She might not have known she did have the stamina to push it home, she had probably been encouraged to wear inappropriate clothes by a society that only shows approval of a certain style of dress. I had a cycle when I was a kid and knew about punctures and what riding a flat does to control and hardware, she might have been in a family where girls don't do that sort of thing.

She might have been threatened with physical violence if not home by a certain time, had a family demanding feeding.

Let us hope she learned a little from this incident and some altruistic person will show her a better way without the social pressures that often accompany such offers of help.

Or maybe she needs a good bawling out and a bit of a slapping.

fondest
Fay

Living proof that you can reline your brakes with the simple tools carried in a handbag (purse), notwithstanding a jack, and preserve the manicure!

Those are VERY thoughtful thoughts Fay....and quite possible reasonings indeed Thanks for sharing them.....

Huh, easy for a magician to say!

In psychology, that's known as "labelling theory". It's the reason why if you run across a large, hairy gargantuan male, he's likely dumb and does manual labor. It's because he's been labelled as such his whole life.