Scooter Sales Accelerate; So Do Thefts, Injuries
Scooter Sales Accelerate; So Do Thefts, Injuries
by Bill Chappell
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93721351
NPR.org, August 21, 2008 ยท It’s easy to spot signs that America’s scooter industry is surging: The little bikes are everywhere now, their appeal benefiting from high gas prices. Annual sales reached 131,000 last year, revved up from 83,000 in 2003, the Motorcycle Industry Council reports.
Two other markers of their popularity have emerged: higher rates of theft and injury.
A study released today by the National Insurance Crime Bureau shows a dramatic increase in the number of scooters stolen: from 2,728 in 2003 to 3,527 in 2007. That’s a rise of nearly 30 percent, though sales increased by 58 percent over the same period. Thefts rose nearly 12 percent from 2006, when 3,155 scooters disappeared.