......a transplanted Northern chick writing about Myrtle Beach one experience at a time......

Saturday, September 10, 2011

I Have a Different Take on the Moped Problem in Myrtle Beach

Wednesday night, while driving home from Myrtle Beach; I went to turn onto Oak St. @ Mr. Joe White, but found I was rerouted due to what looked like a police investigation of some sort of accident.
I noticed a Moped behind the police tape, but I didn't see any other vehicle.  
This morning I finally found the story of what went down.
{you can read the story here}
Apparently an older woman in a car hit two people on a Moped and one died as a result.  Ridiculously tragic.


On Thursday night, while driving home from Myrtle Beach towards Surfside; I took 17 Ave. So. and along the way came upon two Moped accidents.  I commented to my passenger that even though I have no idea what happened in each of those circumstances; I do know that Mopeds tend to be difficult to see.  


On some of the really dark side streets it's almost impossible to see a Moped in enough time to react...but most especially up on the Bypass and on Business 17...they tend to be going much slower than traffic...most times up to 20 miles per hour slower.  That's significant and I think if I were to be travelling 20 mph slower than the flow of traffic or than the speed limit; I'd be required to at least have my Hazards flashing or be ticketed for impeding safety.


Driving the stretch of Business 17 between Farrow Pkway and Hwy. 544, heading South, tends to be very dark, as is the road South of the Back Gate area on the Bypass.  I travel these two roadways everyday (well, duh, who doesn't?...that's how you get anywhere around here) and my opinion is that the problem is the fact that Mopeds are able to be on a roadway going at least 20 miles slower than everyone else.   I do not agree that the main problem is that they are going too fast.  In fact, most of the cars around town drive slower than the posted limits.   
Driving around here most days makes me think of backed up bowels and I'd love to haul an Enema grenade and get things moving!

I can't even enumerate the times a vehicle in front of me has passed into another lane, only to scarily reveal a slow moving Moped in front of me...causing me to swerve or jam on my brakes.  And I count it a small miracle that I've even noticed their tiny little lights. 
   
My advice to those driving Myrtle Beach roadways:

Not only should you be a defensive driver and watch for folks making left turns into the median which is the main reason for the slow moving left lane traffic around here...but be it known unto thee that you will come across all sorts of interesting vehicles besides cars and trucks and motorcycles, and they drive as slow as molasses.
There are Mopeds, Scooters, Golf Carts, Scooters pulling ice cream carts, dune buggies, motorized wheelchairs and everything inbetween...and they creep and crawl...most of the time!

I always take to the streets assuming the worst and so far...knock on wood...I've never been involved in a moving vehicular altercation.....


...I said "so far"!!!



  

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