TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Scooter crash.....again

With all of the outright violations of motorbikes/motorcycle/ATV's witnessed by many of us while driving on the island, when will the authorities start enforcing rules of the road? The best explanation I can come up with is that traffic "laws" are just a mere suggestion. Here is a story about yet another crash. Luckily no deaths but still injury to the operator. https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/88506-scooter-rider-breaks-leg-in-collision-with-pickup

No lights and a high rate of speed. I am all for enforcing laws but you can not legislate intelligence or common sense. In other words, you can not fix stupid!

On one of our first weeks on island 7-8 years ago I almost got broadsided by a big bike. I was turning left, oncoming traffic stopped to let me turn as is common practice on the Friendly island, and a bike came over a rise. He was going right down the middle stripe and very fast. He had to lay the bike down and slid into the far ditch. The bike operator and many who observed the accident told me that he was not hurt seriously and I could leave, but I was watching over my shoulder the rest of the week. The hills and curves from Marigot to Orient can be scary. I remember this incident like it was yesterday.

On one of our trips a couple of years ago, we were returning to Orient after dinner in Grand Case. We were on the long stretch of road when two motorcycles came up from behind us at a high rate of speed and started following us right on our bumper. I slowed down hoping they would just pass us and go on. Well one of them passed us doing a wheelie and the other one passed us very closely and kicked our car door as he went by leaving a dent. As we approached the round about at the turn to Mont Vernon, the Gendarmes had set up a road block checking licenses or whatever. The two idiots on motorcycles just turned left the wrong way and flew by the Officers. The Gendarmes did not bother to pursue them and we stopped and explained what had just happened. They didn't seem to care and simply directed us to proceed. The whole experience really rattled my girlfriend!

So sad... Another scooter bites the dust. For safety of all on SXM get rid of these scooters that are unregistered and make all scooter operators carry a Motorcycle license!