The way to ensure trouble-free riding – whether novice or experienced – is to learn to operate your scooter more skillfully and safely. Your enjoyment and your safety depend on mastering not only the skill of riding a scooter, but also on the mental strategies related to sharing the road.
You will learn:
- What to Wear When You Ride: Dress in protective gear including helmets, jackets, pants, gloves, boots, rain gear, and high-visibility clothing for safety and comfort while riding your scooter.
- Your Legal Responsibilities: Understand and fulfill your legal obligations like obtaining the necessary licensing, insurance, and registration for scooter riding.
- Know Your Scooter: Familiarize yourself with your scooter’s controls, practice braking in a straight line and turning, and conduct pre-ride checks and regular maintenance for safe riding.
- Highway, Byway, Street, and Alley: Use the SEE (Search, Evaluate, Execute) System to increase your visibility to others and enhance your ability to see other road users, especially at intersections, while passing other vehicles, dealing with tailgaters, and riding at night.
- Handling Special Situations: Learn emergency braking, how to brake while leaned into a curve, cope with skids, ride across poor road surfaces, and navigate steel bridge gratings, rain grooves, railroad crossings, rain, wind, and encounters with animals.
- Equipment Failures: Be prepared for equipment failures like blowouts and stuck throttles. Know the steps to take to ensure safety and control during these situations.
- Group Riding and Passengers: Understand the dynamics of group riding and the considerations necessary when carrying a passenger, such as adjusting the suspension and tire pressure.
- Loading the Scooter: Ensure proper loading of the scooter for balanced and safe riding.
- Drinking, Drugs, and Riding: Be aware of the risks and legal consequences of riding under the influence of alcohol or drugs, emphasizing the importance of sober riding for safety.
