All organizations and tracks require riders to wear protective apparel. A Snell-approved full-face helmet with faceshield, full-length leather racing leathers, gloves with gauntlets, and high-top boots are the minimum requirements.

Refer to rulebooks for the various organizations' specific requirements.

This space is available to interested persons who wish to contribute information or a short article, in compliance with rules issued in the introduction.

Okay,so I've got a lot of miles behind me on the road. But what about on the track? Uhhhhhhhh.....
Overly aggressive driving on the track is frowned upon. There are no big prizes, no careers at stake, this is scooter racing. Sure, we all want to be first across the line, but the key thing to remember is that we're all in this for fun. Nobody needs to get hurt just because somebody's ego needs polishing.
Courtesy is as important on the scooter racing track as is winning. Nobody loves or respects a winner who got there by endangering the other racers. In fact, foolish or reckless racing can get a racer eliminated. Fun is the goal. There are enough thrills without bringing fear into the equation. Have fun, and be safe.
What about you? Think you know something about safety on the track? Got opinions on the subject? Here's your chance to say your piece:

This space is available to interested persons who wish to contribute information or a short article, in compliance with rules issued in the introduction.

I have no statistics to support this, but I believe that racing a scooter in an organized event is less hazardous than riding on a typical city street.

Thousands of cyclists die or are maimed every year in highway accidents. My second cousin has been a parapalegic since her 18th birthday, when she wrecked her Honda (a graduation present from her parents). A close friend from high school left a wife and baby boy behind when his Triumph was forced off the road by a car, and his chest met a fire plug. I myself was carted off in an ambulance after my Dad's Triumph Daytona, with yours truly riding shotgun, couldn't stop before impacting a car turning in front of it. I flew through the air, over the car, tapped my helmet on the trunk of the car, and landed on my tailbone on the street. I couldn't feel my legs for almost an hour. I was lucky, and I was young. I'm still lucky.

Time to brag a bit. I don't get many chances. In my life I've operated a lot of different vehicles: tricycles, bicycles, scooters, motorcycles, mopeds, tractors, Cessnas, twin-engine jet, jet skis, motorboats, RVs, cars, pickups, and tractor-trailer combinations.

Currently, I operate an 18-wheeler professionally. This can be nice, because I sit way up high, and I can see everything. I can see the brakelights going on a mile ahead in traffic, even as the 4-wheelers in front of me continue to accelerate in ignorance. And everybody can see me. They may pretend not to, but they know I'm there. They may not respect me personally, but they respect the fact that my vehicle can crush theirs.

But when I climb on the scooter and take to the streets, I have to remember two truths: nobody sees me, and nobody fears me.

To keep this short, I'm not going to belabor all the ways to do it, but one key thing to remember is this: when it comes to cyclists, car drivers are all legally blind, and they're all thinking about something else. You must assume that they do not see you, and act accordingly. Make an extra effort to make them see you. Stay out of their blind spots, and burn your headlight. Be prepared for the worst, and when something bad happens, you'll have a head start on saving your life.

Another thing to remember is that 2-wheeled vehicles are inherently unstable, and will fall over at the least excuse. Mud, sand, ice, snow, water, oil, or a number of other contaminants will insinuate themselves between your tires and the pavement. Then, you will go down. In a car, you will spin or skid. On a two-wheeler, you will eat dirt. At the best, it's embarrasing. If you do this in front of a moving vehicle, you will probably get hurt real bad.

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