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Appropriate riding gear was a hot topic this week following a social media post, which features a woman riding a scooter wearing high heels.
The Facebook post shows an image of a woman perched on a white electric scooter in heels as she waits in traffic behind a truck, Newshub reports. Posted to the Vic Deals Facebook group, it read: “Snakeskin print heels are a bold fashion choice. Combining the two is a great way to win an ACC holiday.”
Some Facebook users reportedly came to the scooter driver’s defence saying, “What's wrong with that? People wear heels while driving!” While another commenter said: “Dumb people like this are the reason I have to pay $550 a year to keep my motorcycle registered.”
An Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) spokesperson told the publication that ACC is a no-fault scheme. This means that ACC will cover injuries - even injuries that are the result of full risk behaviour. It also meant the woman would still be covered even if she crashed her scooter while wearing high heels.
Despite this, the spokesperson noted ACC would “actively discourage people wearing high heels on a motorbike.” He also explained there are some limited circumstances where a claim would not be covered – for instance, if the person's behaviour resulted in imprisonment.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) was quoted as saying it does not have any rules against wearing high heels while riding a scooter or motorbike. However, the agency advises riders to wear boots.
NZTA also highlighted that in terms of essential attire, the law requires every rider and passenger to wear an “approved safety helmet securely fastened on the head.”
Luckily for the woman, she was.
