Driving a scooter may seem harmless, but compared to other means of transport, an accident can be fatal more quickly. The scooter and other disabled vehicles are the most dangerous means of transport in traffic, according to figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
In a comparison by Statistics Netherlands between the number of kilometers traveled by road users, such as motorcyclists, moped and light-moped riders and cyclists, and the number of accidents that occur, the scooter rider is at the top.
The majority of scooter accidents happen without anyone else being involved, says Patrick Rugebregt of the Road Safety Research Foundation (SWOV). “A scooter is unstable. If the driver takes a curb, the scooter quickly falls over.”
The controls could also feel unnatural. “With a bicycle, if you apply the handbrake on the handlebars, you brake. With a scooter, this works exactly the other way around: when you pull the lever on the handlebars, you accelerate.”
A woman on a scooter who drives past joins in. “I sometimes try to apply the brake, but then I go forward at a rapid pace. Those are things I have to get used to.”
Yvonne Baas of Safe Traffic Assen believes that we should stop reacting ridiculously to elderly people who have difficulty controlling their scooter. “Controlling a scooter is definitely not easy.”
That is why she believes that a course is recommended for anyone who is going to drive a scooter. “When a scooter is delivered, the supplier only checks whether the recipient knows how to accelerate and brake. A supplier does not have more time.”