Something About Scooters

Scooter are very common in Korea. While I may go weeks or months without seeing one in Canada, it only takes a couple of minutes driving before one of these pesky machines passes me on the street. In Korea the rules of the road are that if you ride a motorcycle you need to wear a helmet. Not so with a scooter. The only time I ever see a helmet on someone riding a scooter is when I'm on the highway heading into school. Even then they don't where regular motorcycle helmets; they resemble more of a construction hat. It's not uncommon to see two people riding a scooter at the same time (both without helmets), even when the second person is a child. The most people I've seen on one scooter was four. There were two adults with one child at the front and one facing backwards on the rear. The thing looked like it was about to tip over. Today I saw the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. It was raining outside and I passed a scooter on my way into school. The guy had one hand on the handle and the other holding an umbrella. It was so funny, I really wish I had my camera. My day ended with a not so funny experience with a scooter. Not only do people ride scooters on the road but they also ride them on the sidewalk. I stopped at a convenience store on the way home from work, and when I stepped out of my car I swear a scooter missed me by inches.