Modern Buddy

On my run yesterday morning I watched a guy drive down the street on a scoot with nothing for protection save a bicycle helmet. And what was he doing? Looking around cautiously? Nope. Racing to the helmet shop? Unlikely. He was texting!

Good luck my friend.

Please give me a fracking BREAK! You have to be kidding! Texting while riding a scoot while wearing a bicycle helmet!! Wearing what? Flip-flops?

Karl

I see everything you described except the texting part, almost daily in these parts. Usually the cheapest of cheap china scoots too, with a fresh strip of duct tape holding the panels together.

Wow. Throw some bleach in THAT gene pool.
I was riding up Delmar towards I-170 and they are in the process of re-paving. A woman driving the asphalt roller almost backed over me and my car because she was on the cellphone. I still wonder if I should call MODOT. I don't know if she was in contact with another worker regarding the job they wer doing... Don't they use radios? Regardless, she was not watching and she was not driving straight. Sheesh.

We had a vintage rider show up out of the blue last year. She made a great first impression, not only bragging about her street cred, but putting down plastic scoots and blaming them for her getting burned on a muffler, etc. etc. etc. But she really took the cake when she threw a fit when people criticized her for bringing her son along on the ride. Her teeny 4 year old son, with a bicycle helmet on. Yeah, people made comments. Wearing a helmet is your own personal choice, as an adult, but I think most are in agreement that when it comes to children, every precaution should be taken, and that includes a decent helmet!

Yesterday en route to Boulder I saw a gal on a new buddy with a skullcap helmet that wasn't strapped on....

jonlink wrote:On my run yesterday morning I watched a guy drive down the street on a scoot with nothing for protection save a bicycle helmet. And what was he doing? Looking around cautiously? Nope. Racing to the helmet shop? Unlikely. He was texting!

Good luck my friend.

Look at that guy over there. We're all so much better than him!

Dracolibris wrote:We had a vintage rider show up out of the blue last year. She made a great first impression, not only bragging about her street cred, but putting down plastic scoots and blaming them for her getting burned on a muffler, etc. etc. etc. But she really took the cake when she threw a fit when people criticized her for bringing her son along on the ride. Her teeny 4 year old son, with a bicycle helmet on. Yeah, people made comments. Wearing a helmet is your own personal choice, as an adult, but I think most are in agreement that when it comes to children, every precaution should be taken, and that includes a decent helmet!

In a lot of states I believe it is illegal for a child to ride without a DOT helmet, for people just like this. Amazing

bluebuddygirl wrote:In a lot of states I believe it is illegal for a child to ride without a DOT helmet

Then there's China . . .

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Hwarang wrote:

jonlink wrote:On my run yesterday morning I watched a guy drive down the street on a scoot with nothing for protection save a bicycle helmet. And what was he doing? Looking around cautiously? Nope. Racing to the helmet shop? Unlikely. He was texting!

Good luck my friend.

Look at that guy over there. We're all so much better than him!

It's not about superiority, it's about safety.

I do not see a difference between scooter rider wearing bicycle helmet and bicycle rider wearing the same helmet. They ride the same streets and face the same hazzards. I suppose any helmet is better than nothing.....Whether bicycle helmet offers the same degree of protection as motorcycle helmet is another question.

Well, there is a difference in Massachusetts anyway (and where I ride). Riders are required to wear a DOT approved helmet and a bicycle helmet ain't it. (not arguing the merits of helmet laws, just observing that those are the rules)

A bicycle helmet is not DOT rated, but they are ANSI and/or SNELL rated. A bicycle helmet really is a one use instrument. Plus, the effort required to ride a bicycle makes anything approaching a motorcycle helmet's level of protection unrealistic. The cyclist will overheat. I have ridden bicycles all my life, and was having a conversation with somebody about when I was young, the only time I wore a helmet was when I was racing, and it was required. But, back then (early to mid 80s) the helmets were solid, heavy, and led to heat exhaustion and stroke. These days I won't put a leg over a bike without a helmet on, even just going around the neighborhood.

Having both a MC and bicycles, I would have to say that the bike helmet is significantly better than nothing but my MC helmet has a hard outer shell and my bike helmet only has a thin plastic skin over the styrofoam crush zone.

I realize there's considerable overlap, since even a plugger like me has been a little over 40 on a steep downhill, and some smaller MCs and scoots won't do much over 30 but the MC helmet has to be rated for higher speed impacts.

I do wish that somebody could produce a DOT-rated MC helmet that's as well vented as the bike models. This has been yet another hot steamy summer down here.

Hwarang wrote:

jonlink wrote:On my run yesterday morning I watched a guy drive down the street on a scoot with nothing for protection save a bicycle helmet. And what was he doing? Looking around cautiously? Nope. Racing to the helmet shop? Unlikely. He was texting!

Good luck my friend.

Look at that guy over there. We're all so much better than him!

Wellllll...maybe your not but I am!

Aaaaand lock in 3, 2, 1....

Bicycle helmets are designed differently from motorcycle helmets in two main respects:
*Bicycles don't go as fast.
*Bicyclists work a lot harder.

Because bikes typically go 1/2 the speed of a 50cc and 1/3 - 1/4 the speed of a "full-size" motorbike, they can get away with a helmet that doesn't provide the same amount of impact absorption. And because the cyclist is also the vehicle's engine, bicycle helmets have vents to let the wind in and keep his head from overheating.

While a bicycle helmet is better than nothing on a scooter or motorcycle (I wore mine for a week before I decided on a scooter helmet) it doesn't offer enough protection for someone who's going to be going 30-60mph most of the time, and (in my brief experience) it catches way too much wind for someone who's going to be going 30-60mph most of the time.

Southerner wrote:
I do wish that somebody could produce a DOT-rated MC helmet that's as well vented as the bike models. This has been yet another hot steamy summer down here.

Maybe not quite as ventilated as a bicycle helmet, but there are some.
Kinda pricey though.

I have to say that I do not find my black Fulmer 3/4 helmet to be particularly hot. Sure, I sweat a little on my way home from work in the 105 deg heat, but it is nothing like when I ride my bike. Now of course, I am going to limit my exposure to temperatures like that. I think a little common sense is called for. Don't schedule a mulit-hour ride in traffic during the hottest part of the day. That goes for both scootering and cycling.

Tocsik wrote:

Southerner wrote:
I do wish that somebody could produce a DOT-rated MC helmet that's as well vented as the bike models. This has been yet another hot steamy summer down here.

Maybe not quite as ventilated as a bicycle helmet, but there are some.
Kinda pricey though.

Oh, neat! And as you say, kinda pricey. Still, I may set a Google Alert for these and see if I can luck up and catch one on sale.

Thanks!

What gets me is the texting part. Aside from the fact that it makes me blow steam out of my ears for numerous reasons...

HOW did this person physically manage to text while operating a scooter?? How is that physically possible!?

LunaP wrote:HOW did this person physically manage to text while operating a scooter?? How is that physically possible!?

Probably right hand on the throttle, left hand holding the phone and tapping with the thumb.

No matter what anyone does, there will always be stupid people in the world.

TVB wrote:Probably right hand on the throttle, left hand holding the phone and tapping with the thumb.

I've seen a guy who was throttling with the left hand, texting with the right, riding a Chinese scoot in rush-hour traffic. No helmet, Hawai'ian shirt, cargo shorts and flip-flops. This guy was such a perfect example of "doing it wrong" that it blew my mind.

My phone's on silent. I'll call/text/e-mail you back when I get where I'm going.

Our state's no-texting law has gone into effect but I don't see a lot of difference. Really, how would you enforce that? On car drivers I mean.

Southerner wrote:Our state's no-texting law has gone into effect but I don't see a lot of difference. Really, how would you enforce that? On car drivers I mean.

It's another item on the books to add to the list of charges when someone causes an accident and it turns out that texting was involved. Whether that actually serves as a deterrent or not, I don't know.

TVB wrote:

LunaP wrote:HOW did this person physically manage to text while operating a scooter?? How is that physically possible!?

Probably right hand on the throttle, left hand holding the phone and tapping with the thumb.

That's exactly how it happened. My shock was, more than anything, directed at the texting. On the way to work today I came across someone on a scooter wearing full-on battle gear — right down to strap on shin/knee pads. As we were waiting at the light a few lanes across from one another it occurred to me that my 3/4 helmet and riding jacket probably looked insanely dangerous to her. There are some things that are a matter of personal preference.

Texting is not one of those things. For a while I yelled at people if they were in my vicinity and driving like lunatics because they were too busy texting, but lately I've been trying to be more cool headed.

az_slynch wrote:My phone's on silent. I'll call/text/e-mail you back when I get where I'm going.

I keep my phone on silent/vibrate all the time, even at home.
I'll get to your call when I can, leave a message.....
It annoys the crud outta me sometimes, even at work everybody's phones chiming, chinkiling, buzzing &tc AT THE OFFICE too!

jonlink wrote: Texting is not one of those things. For a while I yelled at people if they were in my vicinity and driving like lunatics because they were too busy texting, but lately I've been trying to be more cool headed.

I have been known to just look over and 'snear' at the offender, the other day when I did that to some 'young un' she picked up her slurpee from the cup holder and tossed it at me, her window was closed!!!!

jonlink wrote:

TVB wrote:

LunaP wrote:HOW did this person physically manage to text while operating a scooter?? How is that physically possible!?

Probably right hand on the throttle, left hand holding the phone and tapping with the thumb.

That's exactly how it happened. My shock was, more than anything, directed at the texting. On the way to work today I came across someone on a scooter wearing full-on battle gear — right down to strap on shin/knee pads. As we were waiting at the light a few lanes across from one another it occurred to me that my 3/4 helmet and riding jacket probably looked insanely dangerous to her. There are some things that are a matter of personal preference.

Texting is not one of those things. For a while I yelled at people if they were in my vicinity and driving like lunatics because they were too busy texting, but lately I've been trying to be more cool headed.

The amount of gear you want to wear is your personal preference, and ultimately only affects you.

Texting is in par with drunk driving in my book. Too many innocents are often involved in the accident.

KABarash wrote: Ihave been known to just look over and 'snear' at the offender, the other day when I did that to some 'young un' she picked up her slurpee from the cup holder and tossed it at me, her window was closed!!!!

That is one for the books, sir.

I wish I could keep mine totally silent. However, I am regularly on-call due to my job and it has to be able to rouse me from a dead slumber every now and then. Someday, I plan to get far enough up the food chain to not have to be on-call...