(561) 375-9500
In Boca Raton, some of the distinct motor scooter laws allow a person not to wear a helmet. There is no helmet required unless they are under the age of 16. Drivers of a moped, Vespa, or a scooter do not need to have insurance and do not need to have helmets. These issues can be imperative to understand if involved in a Vespa or motor scooter accident in Boca Raton.
Contacting a Boca Raton Vespa and motor scooter accident lawyer may be critical to holding the responsible party accountable for their actions. If you are interested in filing a claim for any injuries sustained, a distinguished accident lawyer can help.
How Motor Scooters Differ from Motorcycles
A Vespa motor scooter is a two or three-wheeled vehicle that is under 50cc displacement and has a speed of under 30 miles an hour. They must be registered to operate on the roads of Florida, can only be operated on the roads, and cannot be driven on sidewalks. All of the rules of the road for all motor vehicles are required to be followed. An individual has to be a licensed driver to operate the Vespa or a scooter, it has to be registered, and the operator has to follow all the same rules and regulations as anyone else on the road.
The most glaring difference between a motorcycle and a scooter is power. The scooter/Vespa/moped has less than 50cc displacement and cannot go more than 30 miles an hour. They are the little scooters seen buzzing down the road. They must comply with all traffic laws and regulations and the only difference is the helmet requirements. If the person operating the vehicle does not abide by these local traffic laws, a Boca Raton Vespa and motor scooter accident lawyer can help the victim file a claim.
Common Injuries from Motor Scooter Accidents
With motor scooters, as with motorcycles, speed is one of the biggest factors, and also typically how an accident occurs. If a person is going 25 miles an hour on a scooter and a car pulls out in front of them, the scooter hits the side of the car and the rider flies across the hood of the car falling on the ground. They may be severely injured. If that person is on a motorcycle going 45 or 50 miles an hour and impacts the side of a car that just pulled out in front of them, they are going to be flying a little bit further than the hood of the car, and that can lead to further injuries.
Boca Raton Vespa and motor scooter accident lawyers have often seen speed-related collisions. If the motor scooter incident is speed related, a person is going to have a lower speed and therefore should have less severe injuries when the scooter impacts a stopped or a fixed object. If a motor scooter gets broadsided, it does not matter if it is a motor scooter or a motorcycle, the person is going to fly and is going to get hurt.
The main difference in injuries is dependent on the speed. If a person is knocked off of a motor scooter going 25 miles an hour, they can get some road rash, but that person is not going to be slamming across the pavement for 50-100 feet. That person will probably just fall and pretty much stop right there. Speed is a major component. If a motorcycle is going 45 miles an hour and the person gets thrown off, they are going to be rolling across the pavement and there may be adverse effects on their skin from this contact, known as road rash.
Help from an Accident Lawyer
Experienced Boca Raton Vespa and motor scooter accident lawyers have the ability to investigate and make sure that all potential pieces of evidence are uncovered and preserved, as well as making sure that the motorcycle or scooter victim is receiving the proper medical care to lead to a recovery.
The investigation needs to be conducted completely to find out all the variables in the accident, such as:
- Who was at fault
- Why were they at fault
- If there a line of sight issue
- Whether speed was a factor
- Whether weather was a factor
- If there something wrong with the other driver that caused the accident
They may physically recover but may be left with scarring, healing broken bones or other injuries that, although they may be much better, they will never be the same as they were before the accident. It is just that a person’s body is not designed to take these types of impacts and the forces that are placed upon them, whether it is a scooter or a motorcycle.
