St. Petersburg Vespa and Motor Scooter Accidents
If a person is over 16 and has a moped or Vespa that is not able to go faster than 20 miles per hour, the person can drive the vehicle without a license. However, if the vehicle can exceed 20 miles per hour or is a motorcycle, a person needs a driver’s license to lawfully drive it and is required to have insurance.
Vespas and mopeds differ from motorcycles in a number of ways. These can include:
- Vespas and mopeds may not exceed 20 miles per hour.
- Vespas and mopeds can be driven without a driver’s license if it cannot exceed 20 mph.
- Helmet laws do not apply to Vespas or scooters as they do to motorcycles.
Due to these differences, anyone who has been involved in an accident should consult with a St. Petersburg motorcycle accident lawyer to ensure their rights are protected and that a claim is properly filed.
Vespa Danger
Vespa and motor scooter accidents can result in the same consequences in an accident as a motorcycle because a driver does not have the protection of a car around him or her. Often, people ride motor scooters without helmets because they are not required to do so which can increase the driver’s danger. Usually, the accidents involving Vespas and motor scooters are not as bad as those involving motorcycles because the rider cannot go as fast, which means there are fewer catastrophic accidents.
A Vespa and motor scooter can be more dangerous because studies show that more people drive Vespa’s or mopeds are too young to have a license or are unable to get their license for other reasons, including driver’s license revocation. Additionally, their design is not as safe as motorcycles and cars.
Common Medical Injuries
Broken bones are more common in Vespa or motor scooter accidents than in passenger vehicle accidents. Additionally, there are more traumatic brain injuries in motorcycle and moped accidents because people do not wear their helmets and are exposed to hard surfaces when the accident involves impact.
Benefit of an Attorney
A lawyer can keep the evidence intact. In motorcycle accidents, a person has to store the motorcycle to ensure that it is preserved, rather than destroyed or hauled off by the insurance company. This can help an accident reconstructionist to explain what happened, especially if it is a fatal accident and there is no testimony from the victim.
Additionally, an attorney knows how to navigate the process of dealing with insurance companies and how to keep track of the medical bills. A lawyer often streamlines the process and takes care of everything that a person does not want to deal with when he or she is suffering from a severe injury.
An attorney may deal with a Vespa motor scooter case differently depending on whether the person driving the Vespa had a driver’s license and insurance.