Beware of Scooters in Coz!

[Dave Zimmerly]

While in Coz, one Thursday night at the Scuba Club, I happened to meet a couple at dinner who decided to rent a scooter for the evening. The next morning at breakfast, they both showed signs of being in an accident. He had his leg wrapped, not looking too bad, but she had major cuts and road burns on her shoulder and arm, and her leg was wrapped. The worst part is that her face had major scrapes/cuts/abrasions. You could tell she was in pain and suffering from embarrassment. I felt sorry for her. Imagine coming home from vacation and instead of a beautiful tropic tan all you have to show are gashes and scars.

Be warned! Scooters look like fun but people get hurt.

Regards,
Dave (aka "Squirt")

 

[ggunn]

While in Coz, one Thursday night at the Scuba Club, I happened to meet a couple at dinner who decided to rent a scooter for the evening. The next morning at breakfast, they both showed signs of being in an accident. He had his leg wrapped, not looking too bad, but she had major cuts and road burns on her shoulder and arm, and her leg was wrapped. The worst part is that her face had major scrapes/cuts/abrasions. You could tell she was in pain and suffering from embarrassment. I felt sorry for her. Imagine coming home from vacation and instead of a beautiful tropic tan all you have to show are gashes and scars.

Be warned! Scooters look like fun but people get hurt.

Regards,
Dave (aka "Squirt")

Second that. Scooter accidents are the #1 cause of gringos in the emergency room on Cozumel.

 

[TexasZR2]

You aren't kidding....I wouldn't rent a scooter down there if you put a gun to my head. I'm scared just to walk down the street. Those are some of the craziest drivers I've ever seen.

 

[thomjinx]

I see this often in SE Asia as well. I hope they weren't hurt too badly.

Some people will say NEVER ride a motorbike or scooter in a foreign country.

I say "a foreign country or resort area is a BAD place to LEARN to ride."

If you are an experienced rider, I don't find it as dangerous as most American cities. There aren't as many idiots in SUVs, and traffic is usually moving slower.

I rent and ride motorbikes in Cozumel, Bali, Thailand (the islands, not BKK!) and the Philippines. While I have had a scare or two, I have never been hurt. (knock wood)

But I have ridden since I was in high school, off road and on. I ride very defensively, and I always ride with good shoes and a helmet on.

I see people who have never ridden a motorbike for more than 5 minutes go to a resort area, have a few drinks and jump on a scooter in a pair of flip-flops (!), with their partner on the back. This is a recipe for disaster. You would be amazed to know how many tourists die this way.

Driving on the 'other' side from what you are used to, different laws, sand on the road, "the big rig has the right-of-way" (especially in Indonesia!), so many things make driving in a foreign country a real challenge to even an experienced rider.

Having said that, in some places it is simply the most practical way to get around, but I would never think it is a good idea for an inexperienced rider.

If you go to these kinds of places, and want to rent a scooter, learn to ride before you go. Learn to skid in the sand without falling. Learn to do a panic stop without skidding and falling. Wear some shoes you can skid in!

And...... try to find travel insurance that will cover you if you are on a motorbike!

And as always, have fun!
Thomjinx

 

[Christi]

They are lucky, it sounds like they had minor injuries.

I have personally witnessed more than one scooter fatality with tourists and countless accidents. Yes, there are accidents with the locals as well, but even a fraction as many and that's a completely differnet issue anyway...mainly, that as a tourist you have options. This is the sole means of transportation for many locals.

While I'm not saying scooters are safe, locals do have less risk than tourists because
1) they are accustomed to riding the scooters
2) the scooters are a means of transportation for them, not a fun vacation toy
3) they are accustomed to the crazy drivers here
4) they are accustomed to the roads here, including but not limited to: pot holes, speed bumps, where the stop signs are, who has the right away, which direction any given street runs as most are one way

I also don't care if you ride mortorcycles at home! Unless you are intimately familiar with Cozumel, the roads, the traffic, etc...you still are a high risk driver on mopeds...which by the way are more dangerous that motorcycles with REAL wheels.

Just last week...I heard a crash outside my office. I walked out and wouldn't you know, two tourists on a moped had run the stop sign at the corner and hit a local who was coming home from the grocery store. His groceries were strung out all over the street and there was obvious damage to his moped. These beligerent "ugly American" tourists were trying to buy their way out of it! They were speaking LOUD English to the poor little local guy and making smart *** remarks to each other about how stupid he was and how his moped was a "piece of sh** anyway". Littel did they know I was listening to every word they said! Nothing makes me angrier than this..when I see tourists treating the locals with such disrespect, especially for something THEY have done wrong. Can you imagine if there had been a car coming when they ran that stop sign and hit them?

What many people fail to think about when they are renting their "vacation toy" is that Cozumel is not a giant them park. This is a real community with real people who live and work and have normal lives to tend to. A tourist getting on a moped could literally ruin a locals life (or another tourists life...not to mention thier own). As I said above, if they had ran that stop sign, and a car had hit them and severely injured or killed them, regardless of who's FAULT the accident was...the driver of that car has to deal with this from a legal and an emotional standoint for most likely the rest of their lives...all because a tourist thought it would be FUN to rent a scooter for the day and explore the "neighborhoods."

OK...rant off...this is a touchy subject with me if you can't tell

 

[TSandM]

I read the original post and kept trying to figure out what kind of coral or rock or what they had run into while scootering . . . Of course, I'm thinking of UNDERWATER scooters!

 

[Christi]

Some people will say NEVER ride a motorbike or scooter in a foreign country.

It's not the foreign country that is the issue...it's renting a scooter in a place you are completely unfamiliar with, on a machine most are completely unfamiliar with that is the problem.

If you are an experienced rider, I don't find it as dangerous as most American cities.

Totally disagree. For one, how many people rent or ride mopeds in big US cities to begin with? Exactly! Why would you do it here if it's not something you would do at home where you ARE familiar with the roads and traffic, etc.

There aren't as many idiots in SUVs, and traffic is usually moving slower.

Then you obviously aren't very familiar with the traffic flow and drivers in Cozumel. Your profile doesn't mention anything about diving in Cozumel, how many times have you been here out of curiosity?

I see people who have never ridden a motorbike for more than 5 minutes go to a resort area, have a few drinks and jump on a scooter in a pair of flip-flops (!), with their partner on the back. This is a recipe for disaster. You would be amazed to know how many tourists die this way.

I agree 1000%

Driving on the 'other' side from what you are used to, different laws, sand on the road, "the big rig has the right-of-way" (especially in Indonesia!), so many things make driving in a foreign country a real challenge to even an experienced rider.

Uh, in Cozumel, we drive on the same side of the road as in the US.

 

[webhead]

LOL!!!! I did the same thing. Thinking I NEED one of those underwater scooters that can propel you fast enough to get road rash.

 

[thomjinx]

Christi,

I have been to Cozumel about 6 times and I always rent a motorbike. NOT a small wheel moped/scooter. I do find the traffic moves much slower than Atlanta. I didn't see many people going 85 and 90 mph in Coz. It is different, and the one-way streets can be confusing. So I MAY have to go one more block to go the other direction.

Because there is a higher percentage of 2 wheeled vehicles in Cozumel, automobile drivers (at least the locals) seem to be more aware of their existance.

The 'other' side of the road comment was referring to riding motorbikes in Asia and other places. The dangers are pretty much similar. I wasn't trying to hijack the thread, I thought it was related. There are many places people go to dive besides Cozumel where motorbikes and scooters are a common form of transportation. I see the same problems there.

Dead is dead, wherever you are.

 

[Cacia]

yes...I was thinking she ran into a coral head, also.

oh, those scooters!