Moped Kiders Lack Safety Rules, Information
By UNUA HOWELL
Increasing numbers of
Americans are taking advan
tage of gas-sipping mopeds'
110 miles per gallon
But the roughly 800,000
moped riders who will be on
the road by the end of 1979 lack
safety information and licens
ing rules, say researchers at
the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill
Highway Safety Research
Center.
"Mopeds are so easy to
drive and operate that people
are unaware of safety pro
blems," said HSRC staff
associate William Hunter.
"Since there are no required
moped driver education
courses or road tests, the rider
does not have to be made
aware in order to ride.
"Whether or not a rider gets
any safety tips may depend on
the moped dealer or the con
sumer's awareness of the
available information," he
said. "As far as I know, the
Moped Association of America
is the only organization that
prints moped safety informa
tion."
Hunter, with his associates,
Jane Stutts and J. Richard
Stewart, recently completed a
15-month study that examined
moped regulations, safety and
accident data and forecasts
possible U.S. moped safety
problems during the next five
to 10 years. Their work was
funded by the U.S. Depart
ment of Transportation Na
tional Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.
The motor-driven bicycles
generally are safer than
motorcycles but not as safe as
bicycles, the researchers
found.
"We estimate that for every
4-H Retreat
"Let's Keep Sharing" was
the theme for the Western
District 4-H Leader Retreat
that took place Aug. 17
through 19 at Schaub 4-H
Camp in Waynesville. Mrs.
Marion Wallin, 4-H leader of
Marshall junior club, and Miss
Sharon Carter, 4-H agent, at
tended from Madison County.
Friday evening's program
was excellent, with the
Haywood County 4-H'ers giv
ing a program of demonstra
tions, music, skits and games.
Saturday morning a 4-H
specialist from Raleigh gave
workshops on the topics
"Understanding Youth" and
"Developing Learning Ex
periences." After lunch the
Haywood County Rescue
Squad gave a demonstration
in learning rescue techniques
and encouraging the group to
participate.
Saturday night's program
was one of the highlights of the
retreat. It was designed as a
"Share-in"; each county
presented a 4-H program that
had been successful in their
own county. This proved
helpful in giving others fresh,
new ideas to improve their
own program.
Marion Wallin also
presented an interesting pro
gram on camping. She and her
4-H club members are avid
campers.
"Let's Keep Sharing" was
successful in promoting and
.encouraging the Western
District 4-H leaders in their
work with youth.
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iuu mopeds in use each year
there will be between 1.5 and
four accidents," Stutts said.
"For motorcycles, there will
be about the same number of
accidents, but the motorcycle
accidents are likely to be more
severe.
"The Motorcycle Industry
Council reports that 2.3 per
cent of all motorcycle ac
cidents result in a fatality;
however, we estimate that ap
proximately 1.2 percent of all
moped accidents result in
death."
Stut ta said European data
indicate that the most severe
injuries are those to the head,
chest, abdomen, back and
legs.
Head injuries account for
35-55 percent of moped-rider
injuries and 75-80 percent of
severe injuries and deaths.
Although Eurepean studies
have shown that helmets
reduce serious head injuries
for moped riders, the resear
chers found that few moped
riders wear helmets unless it
is legally mandatory.
Three-quarters of all
reported moped accidents in
volve a motor vehicle. More
than 50 percent are angle or
turning accidents
"Because of their size and
their far-right lane position,
mopeds have a visibility pro
blem," Hunter said. "Drivers
should be extremely aware of
this and should take extra
precautions when ap
proaching intersections."
The researchers found
moped regulations in 39 states
and discovered that state laws
differ on maximum speed
limits, minimum driver age
and license requirements.
"The maximum speed limit
ranges from 20-35 miles per
hour, the legal driver age
from 14-16 and the required
license from none to a motor
cycle license," Stutts said.
In their project report,
Hunter and Stutts did not
recommend specific laws
because they felt more acci
dent and driver data were
needed.
"Since mopeds are a
relatively new vehicle in the
United States, we had a lot of
problems collecting data from
the states," Hunter said. "We
were able to collect police
reported accident data from
only 11 states. Most of our data
came from European coun
tries.
"Mopeds have been widely
used in Europe since World
War II, but government
regulations prevented imports
and sales in tbe United Stater"
until late lf75.
"Before specific laws can |ie
made in the United States, we
need to identify, among othfr
things, moped users and tfie
type of moped rider most oftin
involved in accidents.
"Mopeds are a viable means j
of transportation, with or J
without an energy crisis,"
Hunter said, "and we should
take steps now to prevqpt
moped safety from becoming
a problem."
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