In a lot of South East Asian and Latin American countries but also in Italy and France small motorized scooters are very popular in the cities to beat traffic and get somewhere quicker than by foot and cheaper than cars. Why hasn’t the US embraced these?

42 comments

  1. I don’t see how it will beat traffic. You’ll still be in the traffic and part of it.

    But some reasons I can see it not being popular are weather, not being able to carry your stuff, and not being able to bring your family. I’m also not sure you can ride them on the highway?

  3. I think part of it has to do with the weather. I live in Chicago and it will regularly get to -25c here with wind chill. They were more common in miami. I think Americans tend to drive longer distances which the scooters dont seem great for. Also, they generally cant go fast enough to be used on highways

  4. 1. We travel much longer distances than you do, and most people go by car, and our highways are not safe for a small motorbike (I think what you call “scooters”?)
    2. Our motorcycles and motorbikes have to follow traffic rules. Not clear about what you mean by “beating traffic.” They can’t weave between car lanes and have to stop for lights. Besides, people can very easily be killed or hurt by weaving around cars.

  5. I don’t want to die on the freeway which I take for work and my non freeway driving generally involves passengers or shopping for more stuff than would fit on a scooter.

    Edit: also, traffic laws for “beating traffic” are very different here and scooters/bikes/motorcycles aren’t that common so even where it is legal to move between cars people aren’t really watching for them and it’s a good way to die.

  6. The scale of everything is much much larger, especially out here on the west coast. I liked those Bajajs in India but they would never work out here. They felt unsafe even there but out here I cant imagine.

  7. Outside of the city, you’re going to deal with poor roads, bumps, cracks, gravel, dirt, etc. It’s not very good for that. Ignoring that a lot of driving is on the highway and they aren’t too good for that. Weather wouldn’t be too great for it in most of the country too.

  8. They’re here, but you’re right they’re not popular.

    Motorcycles prolly are more versatile for people interested in that sort of thing, as most parts of the US are more spread out than many parts of Europe a motorcycle is better suited for longer distances, which gives it a bit of an advantage.

    They kinda have a stigma too, they’re sometimes viewed as…. Unmanly and silly. Or as something that inexperienced tourists use, causing traffic accidents and dangerous situations.

    And I guess they’re just largely not as useful. Even motorcycles are just a hobby here, most people aren’t using them regularly for errands or commuting. They’re miserable in the rain and you can only use them for so many months of the year to begin with.

  9. I suspect it’s because there isn’t a niche that isn’t met for them, and we aren’t designed for them. I love scooters. Great mileage. Kinda fun. I’d never use it as my commuter vehicle.

    Bikes are used in a lot of areas where scooters would be, but many buildings have spots for bikes. Scooter parking may not be available.

    For longer distances, you really don’t want to ride a scooter on a highway here.

    And then you have weather, carrying stuff, etc for which they aren’t great.

  10. They’re impractical anywhere you would need to drive on a highway regularly.

  15. I would say the limits on Speed, distance, and The fact we often have the need to carry more than one person, or some kind of load that wouldn’t fit on a scooter.

    Not to mention being exposed while driving around with everyone else in much larger vehicles, then you can be a little scary, considering how any accident you get in with other vehicles will be almost guaranteed to end up in injury or worse.

    Also, it should be noted that bikes and scooters are popular in Southeast Asian countries because they are 1000x cheaper than most of the cars that are available since those all need to be imported and taxed and such. And most people don’t make enough money to afford them there!

  16. How would you “beat” traffic while also not doing something illegal?

    I actually see quite a few scooters around here. I’m not far from a large college

  17. How would it beat traffic? They are required to take up a slot on the road just like a car does and driving between the lanes is illegal in most of the country.

    Yes they are cheaper to fuel than cars, but you are exposed to the elements and can carry nothing. They also typically cannot get to highway speeds so you would be a hazard and die driving anyplace not on city streets.

  18. Our speed limits are often higher and we’re a lot more spread out.

    I drive 80mph to work everyday, I’m not attempting that on a moped. Hell, I have my license but there’s no way I’m getting a motorcycle on this coast.

  20. They are incredibly dangerous compared to normal cars, don’t have much cargo space, weather is rarely comfortable in many regions.

  21. longer distances, and larger roads with higher vehicle speeds

    They make sense in cities where you might also bike or use electric scooters or things like that, but if you’re commuting from the suburbs into town, the experience of riding a Vespa in traffic would be similar to the experience of riding a bike in traffic.

  22. Because our primary vehicle are cars…many of them very big. Also the US is really wide, many foreigners really underestimate how large the US is, the speed limitation of a moped makes it not an ideal vehicle of choice. I believe they’re generally capped at 65 mph…which eliminates it from many use cases in the US.

  26. Almost half the Country experiences 6 months of prohibitive weather conditions to ride one.

    The other half is due to distance in traveling.

    A big factor is highway travel. They’re just not safe on larger roadways.

  27. Lane-splitting, driving on the sidewalk, driving around traffic on the shoulder of the road, and similar such methods of “beating traffic” are illegal in most of the US and dangerous everywhere.

    Scooters are typically limited to between 50cc to 250cc engines in the US, depending on state laws. Outside of cities, they are quite slow and can not keep up with traffic. There is some variation between state laws, but typically, Scooters with larger engines are legally considered motorcycles and require a motorcycle license and insurance. E-Scooters may or may not have power limits, but most state requires that they are governed to 20mph or be registered as motorcycles. A few states allow 25mph or 30mph.

    Motorcycles, scooters, and mopeds are inherently more dangerous to drive than cars. Even an excellent driver on a 2 wheeled vehicle can be easily killed by a bad driver in a car. Single vehicle crashes are also more dangerous on a 2 wheeled vehicle.

    Weather is many parts of the US is too cold or too rainy for scooters to be a reliable, pleasant way to commute year around.

    Motorcycles are popular in the US as pleasure vehicles.

  28. Electric bikes are really common near me. I actually have a neighbor who rides a scooter to work. But it’s only about a mile away.

    I usually see them around the Orlando area when there is nice weather.

    Actually remember seeing maybe a dozen or so riding around Winter Park. Then realized one looked like Carrot Top. He pulled up in between 2 cars parked on the side. Lifted up the scooter and parked it between them. Walked into a coffee shop and grabbed a coffee. I got a better look and it definitely was him with a bunch of friends.

  31. I just bought one at an auction for $50.00. But it’s just a project to see if I can get it running. More of a toy to play with, not something that I would depend on to get around.

  32. In the US incomes are high and we have a comparatively plentiful supply of cheap used cars. A lot different than in many Asian and Latin countries. We are also a lot more orderly with traffic so weaving around like a maniac isn’t going to fly

  33. If folks live somewhere dense enough for a scooter of that sort to be helpful, they likely have other alternatives already.

  34. Horrible weather huge roads and highways populated by massive trucks and SUVs. In our area cyclists are ignored hated or targeted by rednecks in huge pickup trucks. Simply our roads and culture make it extremely difficult.

  35. These are popular in developing countries where many people can’t afford a car but still need to get around. Also in cities that are older and/or less organized than ours and thus easier to park a vespa/scooter.

    When we can afford something that is comfortable, we’re going to choose that comfort even if there is a cheaper and less comfortable option out there.

  36. We mostly call them mopeds here. They’re popular with university students partly because they’re cheaper and easier to park than a car.

    But if you’re not right next to a university or a city center, traffic is less gridlock and more speeding SUVs. It’s deadly to anyone not in a car.

  37. If by “beating traffic” you mean lanesplitting, driving on the shoulder, etc that’s illegal in most of the US and will get you hefty fines

  39. Why are mopeds similar to fat chicks ?

    >!they’re fun to ride, but if your friends find out, you’re FUCKED!<

  40. Because I want to live. We share roads with cars and trucks that would drive over you without even noticing. Shit, I drive a jeep and I feel little next to a tractor-trailer or a giant dually truck. I like driving my cage.

  41. It’s probably unsafe given the amount of big SUVs on the streets. In most European countries there are majority of the cars on the smaller side so it’s a bit safer to be on a scooter than it would be in the US.

    Also in most of Europe you can’t drive a car alone until you are 18 but are allowed to ride a scooter 16+ (still varies a bit between the countries ofc) so many Europeans that age get scooters because they can’t have cars which in the US simply isn’t necessary.

  42. We can afford cars.

    Sorry, that is the answer. A car is better than a scooter in every way but one. They use less fuel. But, in the US fuel is cheap, as we don’t tax it as high as most countries.

    What is the accident/death rate on those things?

    >In the first 10.5 months of 2018, there were 13,051 accidents which resulted in 14,465 injured and 246 dead in Chiang Mai Province. (This stat leaves out December which is one of the most lethal months.)

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