Many of the tourists appear to have no idea how to operate the vehicles, as shown in many videos posted online.
Motorized scooters are a fun and popular way for tourists to get around while on vacation, but they can also present a serious danger.
Videos posted online show tourists getting into accidents on their scooters — many of them appear to have no idea how to operate them.
In one video, a couple appears to be enjoying their ride in the Dominican Republic, when another scooter driver suddenly drives right into them. Dan Leveille and Brianne Fournier, of Ontario, Canada posted the video online to warn others about scooter dangers.
"People drive really fast," Fournier said. "They drive while they're drunk. It's very scary."
Fournier spent three days in the hospital, but feels fortunate to have gotten away with only a nasty scar on her knee. She says they weren’t wearing helmets because the scooter rental place didn't have any available.
“We feel lucky to be alive," Leveille added. "It could have been a lot worse, especially since we weren't wearing helmets."
Inside Edition went to Cozumel, Mexico, to evaluate scooter vendors. When Investigative Producer Joe Enoch rented a scooter from one place, he was allowed to drive off without a helmet or any instructions on how to operate it.
At another rental place, Enoch told the vendor he didn’t have his driver's license.
"For me, it’s no problem," he said before letting Enoch drive off.
A Cozumel taxi driver named Raul told Inside Edition that he sees deadly scooter crashes on the island all the time and that alcohol is often a factor. He said the vendors often have no problem renting to apparently inebriated drivers.
To test that, Enoch walked into a scooter shop with three open bottles of beer. The rental clerk had no objections — he even held the beers as Enoch adjusted his helmet.
Before driving off, the vendor warned that Enoch could be ticketed for drinking his beers while driving at the same time.
"So I can just chug these and then take off?" Enoch asked.
"Yes," he responded.
Inside Edition Chief Investigative Correspondent Lisa Guerrero went back to the scooter office with some questions.
"If someone comes in here holding three beers and he says he's going to drink all three beers before he gets on the motor scooter, is that safe?" she asked.
"It's safe here," the vendor claimed. "It's safe."
Experts say that if you are going to rent a scooter, you should make sure your insurance will cover you abroad and to only drive one if you have experience.
But Fournier feels it’s not worth the risk.
"I will never ride a scooter again," she said.
Experts say make sure you learn how to ride a scooter before you rent one on vacation and make sure you have insurance that will cover accidents if you're abroad.
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