Tips for a safe Scooter and Vespa ride

Renting a scooter in Florencecan be romantic for a couple, but also it allows you to cover a lot of ground and see parts of the city that are too far to cover on foot.
Here are some tips to make sure you have a safe and comfortable journey on board one of our scooters:

• Wear Sunglasses: It's a good idea to wear sunglasses during the day to protect your eyes from the sun, dust, or the occasional bug.
• Park Well: Make sure you park in a legal parking space so you don't break the law or incur a fine, and make sure you position your scooter in the appropriate place. If you park alongside a road, make sure to position your scooter in the direction of traffic. The best place to park is in a designated scooter space. Don’t park on the sidewalk because it is against the law. Also, avoid parking in disabled spots and anywhere the lines on the asphalt are yellow.
• Parking on pedestrian crossings is illegal. Always look for scooter spots marked by white lines.

• Wear a Helmet: This is Rule #1. This is not negotiable. You must always put on a helmet (and fasten it) before driving a scooter. This applies both to driver and passenger.

• Avoid Alcohol: It is prohibited to drink alcohol while you drive and it is against all the rules of the road. Drinking while impaired by alcohol can be disastrous and can lead to accidents or death, so you should avoid all alcohol when driving a scooter.

• Drive Safely: Drive safely at all times, and make sure to pass on the left side.

• Always use your indicators/turn signals when stopping or turning. You have the same rights as cars to drive in the center of the lane but be sensitive about the traffic behind and around you. You should drive at a moderate speed in the right-center of the lane.
  Last, but MOST IMPORTANT: You must have previous riding experience before renting a scooter in Florence renting a scooter (ex. riding another type of scooter or a motorcycle). Here at New Tuscany Scooter Rentalunlike most companies that allow anybody to ride, we don't rent to people who don't have previous experience. We have been in business for almost 15 years and we have seen that of the 1000+ accidents our customers have caused, the cause was always the inexperience of the rider, it was never the fault of another vehicle, never. This is an important insight because most people have asked us if it is dangerous to ride here and if Italians are bad drivers: the fact is that Italians are basically the same as drivers around the world, so it's the competency of the scooter rider that makes the experience safe or dangerous. So our advice is, if you don't know how to properly ride a scooter or a motorcycle, DO NOT RENT ONE (and if you don't know how to ride but you think you can, it is actually very likely that what you think you can do is different from what you can actually do).