For years I vowed never to ride a motorbike. I was a car person. But
when fuel prices went up, it made me think again. Add that to the fact
that moving around in a car wasn't any fun again, I decided to take
the plunge and buy an electric scooter.

I've had it a while now and my fears about getting knocked off have
proved unfounded. I feel as safe on my electric scooter as I did in my
car. If you're thinking of making the switch, here's some tips on
riding an electric scooter:

Think ahead. I know you already do this when driving a car but it's
more important on a scooter, especially when you're approaching a
junction or intersection. Modern electric scooters have bright lights
and you should keep it on even during the day.

Don't get carried away by weaving through traffic. One of the best
things about having an electric scooter is the ability to jump traffic
queues. But do this with caution. Don't try and jump to the head of
the line at 30 m.p.h. Treat each car in your way as a separate hazard.
There may be pedestrians crossing the road.

Electric scooters are very quiet. And that's great. But remember that
people crossing the road, or other road users, may not hear you. Don't
make assumptions.

Make sure your electric scooter is properly maintained. It's easy to
become complacent about this. There are less mechanical parts on an
electric scooter, so one of the advantages is that they need less
maintenance. But bear in mind that it does still have parts that all
scooters have, such as tyres. Never let the tread wear down beyond
legal limits. It can be dangerous.

Pay attention to the weather. If it rains and the road is wet it will
affect the handling of your electric scooter, especially when going
round bends. You can still ride your scooter in the rain because it
has to be very wet before it gets tricky but just make sure you're
aware of things like braking distances. These are much longer in the
wet.

Riding an electric scooter can be great fun, especially in congested
cities. They're cheap to run, eco-friendly and have a fair amount of
zip in them these days. It's much better to be riding one than to be
cramped up in a car, sitting in endless queues of traffic. As long as
you ride sensibly you will have a great time.

Allan Hardy has an entertaining blog featuring news and reviews of the
latest electric bikes, scooters and cars. It's at
http://electric-bikes-scooters-cars.com

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