Month: September 2006

NTSB reports troubling M/C stats

At a recent Public Forum on Motorcycle Safety, National Transportation Safety Board member Deborah Hersman reported that an increase in motorcycle fatalities is outpacing the growth of motorcycling. The NTSB reports that:

  • In the past ten years, there’s been a 230% increase in fatalities of riders over 40.
  • In the past ten years, there’s been a 540% rise in fatalities of riders over 50 riding bikes with 1,001-1,500 cc displacement.
  • Larger engine displacement, riders taking up cycling later in life, and fewer riders wearing helmets contribute to these trends.
  • in 2004, 41% of those killed in a solo motorcycle crash were legally drunk.

Bikers interviewed by AP, predictably, demanded “more data” and invoked Vietnam, rather than taking action to promote safe riding or sharing any sort of responsibility.

Segways recalled, still pointless

After a recall of all Segways sold to date, the BBC wonders why they never “caught on”. Their conclusion: the government banned them on sidewalks. 2sb’s conclusion: they’re pretentious, ridiculously expensive, comically slow, overengineered, and amazingly overhyped. Other than that, they’re great. I love the punters arguing in the comments that Segway was the answer to congestion problems, as if everybody driving overpriced wobbly giant chariots on the sidewalk wouldn’t be twice the nightmare of current city traffic.

Spring is here?

Dentsu's new Vespa Butterfly campaign

Dentsu’s new psychedelic butterfly Vespa ad for the Canadian market, with five accompanying posters: “Kustaa,” “Words,” “Rainbow,” “Metal,” “Iconic,” and “Black and White.” Beautiful, and totally in the spirit of the history of Vespa advertising, but, um, it’s not quite Spring yet, is it? (More info about the campaign.) Thanks to Vespinoy for the tipoff, they have some cool Vespinoy stickers for sale, for all you Filipino-American scooterists (and there are many of you).

News Briefs

  • A one-cm-long Vespa will be certified as Vietnam’s smallest scooter in Ho Chi Minh City today. Presumably, it has yellow kickstand boots.
  • Reese Witherspoon’s film Penelope, featuring Christina Ricci with a pig snout and Witherspoon as a scooter messenger, debuted in Toronto this weekend.
  • Arkansas pastor Bryan Fink, sick of $85 fill-ups for his minivan, switches to a scooter, racking up 1200 miles since May.
  • Another boilerplate “scooters are great” story from Windham, Maine.
  • Another Providence Journal Javaspeed story. (Doesn’t it seem like there have been several others this year?)
  • Hindustan Times reports LML workers have started a sit-in at a Labour commisioner’s office. (Story was later removed)

Indian Autorickshaw Challenge

If Ants’ and Jo’s three-month Tuk-Tuk adventure wasn’t enough for you, or you thought they needed more competition over a shorter distance, you might want to schedule time off work next August for the 2007 Indian Autorickshaw Challenge. Sounds a bit better organized and a bit more fun, though I think Ants and Jo could have blown away the competition.

Tukkers update: they’re home!

Jo and Ants return homeAfter three grueling months driving a Thai tuk-tuk from Bangkok to England, Jo and Ants (and Ting Tong) are safely home in Norfolk, UK. They’ve raised £25,000 for Mind, a mental health charity, and are hoping to double that amount through local appearances and donations. With the giant potholes, civil unrest, mysterious food, border crossings, amazing scenery, and even an earthquake behind them, their blog is great reading, and now there’s the luxury of reading it all at once, rather than waiting for the next installment.

Kymco gears up for export market

The Taiwan Economic News reports that Kymco plans to export 10% more scooters and ATVs worldwide next year, about 290,000 units, including the world’s first 700cc scooter. Upscale products for more affluent markets will continue to be manufactured in Taiwan, while secondary markets will be served with products made in mainland China. 2sb prediction: by this time next year, KymcoUSA will be fighting a PR battle against cheaper illegally-imported Chinese-made Kymcos. Safety recall: 2006 Kymco Agility 50cc scooters were accidentally shipped without an engine kill switch. A voluntary recall is in effect, Kymco dealers can inspect and fix the scooters at no cost.

Aussie motor group speaks up for scooters

As Spring arrives in Australia, bringing along a U.S.-like scooter boom, The Age quotes the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce:

Scooter riders need safer travel routes, better sharing initiatives, better education for riders and drivers, better traffic management, better licensing and training laws as well as better infrastructure. Government policymakers and road planners are failing powered two-wheeled transport users. We need a system of designated `safe routes’ and better traffic management features to make road-sharing safer for scooter and motorcycle riders. It is time the growing army of scooter riders was heard and their concerns addressed.

Hear hear! We feel the same way in the U.S. (and we want parking!). Some Chicago scooterists are looking to join forces with ABATE, the next meeting is Wednesday, September 20. We’ll post more details soon.