Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced rider, you can learn to navigate through – and to avoid – car traffic on your electric scooter. In this post, we’ll delve into basic safety tips, riding etiquette, and advanced techniques for riding in, and around, traffic jams.
We happen to think that scooters are the best electric transportation because of their portability and versatility. And scooters are generally not difficult to ride. But it’s important to master the basics and take it slow at first if you’re just starting out.
Learn more about the convenience of e-scooters
Mastering Your Electric Scooter’s Controls & Settings
Before setting off on any electric scooter journey, whether it's your daily commute or a brand new adventure, you want to make sure that you’ve mastered your scooter’s controls.
You should start by making all the fine adjustments to the placement of your controls you need to make, if they are adjustable, to ensure that throttle, brakes, lights, turn signals, and so on are all within reach.
You should be able to access the controls at a moment’s notice without looking down at your hands if necessary, so you can keep your eyes on the road and the traffic around you.
Mastering the scooter’s controls can take some practice, and you might want to limit yourself to riding residential roads and bike paths and/or trails (where allowed) until you feel confident accelerating, slowing, stopping, and turning without looking down.
You’ll also want to get familiar with all of your electric scooter’s settings, such as the level of regenerative braking you prefer, and the advantages of using different riding modes in different situations.
Mastering these settings can help give you more confidence and overall control over your electric scooter on the road when you encounter car traffic.
Explore the Lightweight electric scooters
Safety First: Tips for Riding E-Scooters in Traffic
It’s also essential to prioritize your safety by always wearing a helmet, maintaining proper balance, and keeping a firm grip on the handlebars. Wearing a pair of specially-made cycling or motorcycling gloves can help you get a good grip and also protect your palms and knuckles in the unfortunate event of an accident.
Safety should always come first on an electric scooter, especially around cars. Since scooter riders have little protection other than their helmet and any other protective gear, they need to ride especially defensively.
Stay aware of your surroundings, and scan the road ahead for obstacles and potential hazards. Give yourself plenty of distance to stop around larger vehicles, and give pedestrians and smaller vehicles plenty of space.
It’s critical to obey all traffic rules when riding an electric scooter on the road. In addition to stopping at all signs and signals and yielding to pedestrians, you should use turn signals, if your scooter has them. Move to the right side of the road before coming to a complete stop, and allow drivers to pass you on the left.
Being highly visible to drivers is the key to staying safe in car traffic. Use your scooter’s lights and signals in car traffic. Wearing reflective clothing and adding reflective stickers to your scooter and/or helmet can make you stand out even more.
Electric scooter vs. public transport
Exploring Alternative Routes for a Traffic-Free Journey
While it’s good to know how to navigate safely in car traffic, ideally you want to avoid. One of the advantages of electric scooters is the ability to explore alternative routes to heavily congested areas.
Use these tips to explore and map alternative routes and avoid traffic jams.
Use mapping apps with cycling routes to plan your journey to discover the most efficient and scenic routes. These routes will take you down quieter streets with fewer traffic lights and avoid high-speed intersections where most accidents occur.
Be mindful of peak traffic hours and plan your rides around them as much as possible. Sometimes you don’t have a choice about commuting during rush hours, but if leaving earlier or later helps you beat the traffic, then your rides will be safer, faster, and a lot more fun.
Exploring alternative routes not only offers a safer and more stress-free ride, but it also provides opportunities for discovery along the way. Don’t neglect them! Alternative modes of travel don’t just save time and money – they open us up to learning and exploration. Instead of speeding past new restaurants, cafes, galleries, shops, etc. in enclosed boxes, we can stop and take it in.
How electric scooters save you time
Next Level Travel: Advanced Tip and Tricks for Beating Traffic
If you’ve moved past basic techniques and consider yourself an experienced rider, you might be ready to step up to a faster electric scooter – maybe one with dual motors than can handle different types of terrain.
A dual motor performance scooter like the Apollo Phantom V4 or the Apollo Pro will definitely give you an edge in city traffic, where you’ll have more acceleration and braking power for maneuvering quickly.
Learn how to perform sharp turns, emergency stops, and controlled braking to navigate through challenging situations safely. Practice slow-speed maneuvers and obstacle avoidance techniques to build your confidence and improve your agility on the scooter.
Stepping up to a powerful premium electric scooter also gives you the option to try faster roads with less traffic, navigating out-of-the-way scenic routes and even incorporating gravel roads and off road trails into your ride.
The more you explore, the more you’ll be rewarded with new routes to take at different times of day, giving you even more options for avoiding traffic jams. Electric scooters are the best form of transportation for smoothly moving through and around traffic. You can make traffic congestion a thing of the past with more advanced riding techniques – and a more powerful scooter.
Mastering electric scooters for a traffic-free journey requires a combination of foundational knowledge, safety precautions, and practice. By following the tips and tricks outlined in this article, you'll not only enhance your skills, but you’ll also have a safer, more enjoyable, and – ideally – traffic-free ride. So, gear up, hop on your electric scooter, and embrace the freedom of effortless, traffic-free transportation.
