Scooter security

We will be vacationing in and around Nice (Antibes to Menton) and will be using scooters to get around. Is there any concern that rental scooters could be stolen? I would think that rental scooters, generally being a bit lower quality, might be less of a target than the nicer privately owned scooters.

Any insight will be appreciated.

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I%26#39;ve never heard of scooters being stolen, but they are the most dangerous means of transport over here. Highest accident and death rates on the roads.

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Monaco is probably the exception, but in every other town on the Riviera there is a risk. Check with the rental company if they offer theft protection and also check the terms with your credit card issuer (visa premier for instance covers theft/damage to rental vehicles).

And as Monacocabbie says, the greatest risk is indeniably that related to driving...

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Just got back from scootering around Nice. Both rental companies I spoke to said that theft was not included in the insurance. It was impossible to pay extra for theft insurance. How bizzar! And because we where staying on Promenade De Angles both rental companies said it would likely be stolen over night so recommended that we only hire from 9am to 6pm!

We took a chance with our 3 50cc scooters so we could spend more time in Monaco and shush *don%26#39;t tell anyone* we parked in the Radisson car park over night. You can get around the boom gates on scooters.

Scooters are just as dangerous as anywhere else. So I%26#39;m not sure why people on this forum are scaring others off scooting in Nice. As long as you have experience and a sensible head, you%26#39;ll keep it. Just don%26#39;t take chances, stay with the flow of traffic and be observant. You can get to some amazing vantage points with this type transport.

I recommend www.holiday-bikes.com

Enjoy.

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I have witnessed and heard the crashes and bangs of lots and lots of scooter accidents in both Antibes and Nice - usually of the rider somersaulting over an open car door variety but also skids and crashes

I am so jaded by scooter accidents here that i don%26#39;t often look out the window now unless there are also mad sounds of panic and maybe noone has phoned an ambulance or run for the pharmacist for first aid.

I%26#39;ve also sat in school meetings for colleges and lycees where the proviseur [Headmaster/Rector] pleads with parents not to allow their kids to ride to school on scooters because there have been many deaths and serious injuries from scooter accidents

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Yes scooters do get stolen - the insurance on our one was eye-wateringly high. So take care where you park it.

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%26quot;scaring others off scooting in Nice%26quot;?

This is the sort of thing that concerns people I guess - its worth a look, its only a short clip taken from a security camera

dailymotion.com/video/x3c6wg_accident-scoote…

Now of course its not going to happen to you? Of course not.

According to French sources, scooters account for 1.1 percent of all the traffic in France, 10.1 percent of all traffic accidents and 18 percent of all traffic deaths. (Of course I expect the velo-blue to overtake these statistics by the end of the year)

Having watched dozens of bikers here scraped off the road and bundled into the back of ambulances, I concluded the problem is that fair proportion of road users in France are certifiably insane - both car and bike.

For only a few euros more, get the comfort of steel around you.

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Yes and if %26#39;experience and a sensible head%26#39; were sufficient, my husband would%26#39;ve spared himself major surgery and weeks in hospital a few years ago.

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I asked our French friends who live near Nice (and whose son used to ride a scooter until he nearly died in a crash) about renting a scooter: their response? Non, non, non!!!

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I think that one of the most serious problems with traffic and scooters in the south of France is that a lot of the folks on the road are tourists and gawk a lot more than they might at home. I certainly wouldn%26#39;t recommend that tourists rent scooters there, on the Amalfi Coast, or on any of the Greek Islands. The gawk factor is just too high in these places for folks on scooters to be safe, no matter how sensible and experienced they are.

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Reminds me of when I asked a student in Taipei, where they all ride scooters and traffic is much more chaotic than Nice, if any of her friends had been badly injured. She obviously thought that this was a very amusing question and giggled before answering, %26#39;If you ride a scooter in Taipei you are bound to be badly injured once a year or so.%26#39;