Four weeks after her younger sister was killed in a moped
accident in Oak Bluffs, Christina Dunnet Davis is vowing to join any
campaign that will rid the Vineyard of mopeds.
Just five days after a moped accident in Oak Bluffs killed a Virginia woman, another accident yesterday in Edgartown has left a 60-year-old moped rider from Florida in critical condition with severe head injuries.
The 30-year-old woman killed in last Saturday's moped accident in Oak Bluffs loved to make furniture, especially chests and tables. Kate Dunnet Miller was president of her high school alumni association. "There was a charisma about her, a vibrancy. She was a real extrovert," said her mother-in-law, Dr. Caryn Miller of Washington, D.C.
Three hours after renting a moped in Oak Bluffs Saturday morning, 30-year-old Katherine D. Miller tried to round a right curve on Beach Road near Harthaven, lost control of the moped and struck an oncoming car.
A forum at the Oak Bluffs School last night began with the findings
of a recent study on two-wheeled vehicles and ended in a lengthy
dialogue about the history, safety and future of mopeds on the Island.
Dr. Alan Hirshberg's year-long study of accidents involving
mopeds, bicycles and motorcycles found that most moped accident victims
are daytrippers to the Island who have received under seven minutes of
training.
Moped accident victims need more training - most have never driven a motorized two-wheeler before, and the average customer gets seven minutes of training at the rental shop. Moped crash victims tend to be short-term visitors to the Island, and they crash most frequently in August. More bicyclists are hurt each summer than moped drivers, but victims of moped accidents tend to be hurt far more seriously.
All-Island Selectmen Association Hears Emotional Appeal
To Pressure Boston to End Carnage on Island Roads
By JOSHUA SABATINI
After listening to a presentation by Sam Feldman of the Mopeds Are
Dangerous Committee, the All-Island Selectmen Association unanimously
decided to support legislation that would require a motorcycle license
to rent a moped.
Casting aside deep differences, moped dealers and their politically active opponents formally agreed yesterday to implement a nine-point plan aimed at one goal - reducing injuries to moped riders.
Oak Bluffs selectman Todd Rebello this week all but admitted that town officials have done a lousy job making moped dealers abide by town regulations, and selectmen agreed Tuesday night to improve local enforcement.
Just five days after a moped accident in Oak Bluffs killed a
Virginia woman, another accident yesterday in Edgartown has left
a 60-year-old moped rider from Florida in critical condition
with severe head injuries.
