I recently googled "Jory Squibb" and saw that Moonbeam was causing a satisfying
amount of trouble on the webs and blogs in this field of interest. The most prominent question concerned the safety
of such an extremely light vehicle.
I designed and built this microcar after 40 years of motorcycling, a mode
of travel which is less forgiving of poor judgement and attention than is auto travel. The motorcyclist must wear protective
clothing, keep his/her steed in top condition, operate only in safe conditions, and mainly enter
into a zen-like state of increased awareness while driving. It is the enjoyment of this intensification which draws
so many to the sport.
Making Moonbeam, I felt sure I would have a vehicle significantly
safer than a motorcycle. The passengers would be restrained by inertially-activated 3-point seatbelts and surrounded
by a heavy-gauge welded roll cage. The car, though small and low, but being unusual and brilliant white, would
always draw other driver's attention, even without the orange bicycle flags I had originally planned.
I felt that limiting it's speed was a must, maybe to 40 MPH. That represents
the 'scale speed' of about 80 MPH in a large car. All my past motorcycle accidents involved skidding sideways
in desperate turning situations caused by imprudent operation. By carefully designing Moonbeam--center of gravitry,
front end geometry, etc--I think it is about as stable in a skid as car.
What remains, if we consider that a roll-over or a skid is relatively
safe, is the prospect of a head-on collision, which given the physics of weight, is unavoidably horrifying.
This peanut would not fare well! So I conclude that a microcar owner must, like a cyclist or pedestrian, enter
that defensive hyper-awareness without fail. This vehicle, while it might be more forgiving of mistakes
than two-wheelers, needs careful driving.
I haven't found anyone in our Maine beurocracy who can tell me if a 'motorcycle
endorsement' on one's driver's license is needed to drive an 'auto-car'. That is Moonbeam's subcategory of
the larger motorcycle category, which does require the endorsement. To get such an endorsement, one attends
a day-long seminar and gets, at the end of the day, a one-year learning permit. Then, a road
test taken within a year will give you full privelidges.
Even though you would probably never be questioned about that endorsement,
I think any microcar driver should take the safety course, and always think like a two-wheeled travellor. You'll
actually enjoy it.
