My daughter got her first taste of road rash today. She and the lovely Mrs_Bob took the scooters out for a drive in the country. My wife apparently stopped to pull off the roadway and drive down a dirt path along a creek. My daughter either didn't see my wife signal or didn't pay attention but she almost hit my wife, swerved, then hit some loose gravel and put the scooter over on its side while she skidded on the road.
Fortunately they were going pretty slow, probably under 20mph. My daughter had her helmet on.
My rule has always been that she have shoe on that securely tie to her feet (no flip flops, no clogs, no slip ons), long pants and a long sleeve shirt or a light jacket over a short sleeve shirt.
It was warm today, my daughter skipped the long sleeve shirt. My wife always thought my rules were excessive.
My daughter now has a nice scrape on her right elbow and forearm (pretty much the whole forearm from elbow to wrist). Another scrape on her left arm, but not as severe. The front cowling of the scooter is cracked up pretty good and a chunk was knocked out of it. It can be pretty easily repaired with epoxy. But both the wife and daughter learned a lesson and no real injury was incurred. The helmet has a good scrape on it, I gather it did it job pretty well too. Had she been wearing shorts and flip-flops I suspect it would have been a lot worse, probably still superficial, but painful never the less.
Both suggested today that maybe my rules for what my daughter needs to wear while riding are not so stupid after all!!!
BTW, my daughter is only 12, she's rode her own scooter all last summer. So she is pretty young to be riding on the roads.
Fortunately they were going pretty slow, probably under 20mph. My daughter had her helmet on.
My rule has always been that she have shoe on that securely tie to her feet (no flip flops, no clogs, no slip ons), long pants and a long sleeve shirt or a light jacket over a short sleeve shirt.
It was warm today, my daughter skipped the long sleeve shirt. My wife always thought my rules were excessive.
My daughter now has a nice scrape on her right elbow and forearm (pretty much the whole forearm from elbow to wrist). Another scrape on her left arm, but not as severe. The front cowling of the scooter is cracked up pretty good and a chunk was knocked out of it. It can be pretty easily repaired with epoxy. But both the wife and daughter learned a lesson and no real injury was incurred. The helmet has a good scrape on it, I gather it did it job pretty well too. Had she been wearing shorts and flip-flops I suspect it would have been a lot worse, probably still superficial, but painful never the less.
Both suggested today that maybe my rules for what my daughter needs to wear while riding are not so stupid after all!!!
BTW, my daughter is only 12, she's rode her own scooter all last summer. So she is pretty young to be riding on the roads.