To the editor:

I read with great sadness about the scooter rider being killed on one of our streets last Sunday. My heart goes out to that poor man’s family.

I would like to correct a misnomer, here. The man was riding a scooter, not a mo-ped. The term mo-ped is given to those very small, very underpowered motorized bicycles that have a very small engine AND a set of pedals to help it get going from a start: mo- (motor), ped (pedals). Most of the small scooters that are in use today are somewhat more sophisticated and have larger engines and NO pedals.

The scooters are gaining in popularity and range from the small 49cc engines all the way up to a 650cc engine. The larger ones are called maxi-scooters and are for all intents and purposes more motorcycle than scooter.

Thanks for letting me clarify the terms.

Donald Hall,

Lawrence