A Wellington woman riding a scooter wearing high heels has sparked a debate over whether her attire was appropriate.
The image, posted to the Vic Deals Facebook group, shows a woman perched on a white electric scooter in heels as she waits in traffic behind a truck.
"Snakeskin print heels are a bold fashion choice," said Emma Bell, who posted the image. "Combining the two is a great way to win an ACC holiday."
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Some Facebook users came to the scooter driver's defence, with one saying: "What's wrong with that? People wear heels while driving!"
Others weren't so optimistic, with one Facebook users insisting people are more vulnerable while driving a scooter.
"Not much between you and the driver that's not paying attention."
Another said: "Dumb people like this are the reason I have to pay $550 a year to keep my motorcycle registered."
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) does not have any rules against wearing high heels while riding a scooter or motorbike, but it does advise riders to wear boots.
"Don't ride in running shoes, or worse still in jandals or bare feet. Avoid shoes with rings or laces that could catch on the motorcycle," it says.
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.
An Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) spokesperson said even if the woman crashed her scooter while wearing high heels, she would still be covered.
"We're a no fault scheme, so that means that we'll cover injuries - even injuries that are the result of full risk behaviour."
He said the ACC would "actively discourage people wearing high heels on a motorbike, but if someone did do that, and it resulted in an accident or caused an accident somehow, their claim would still be covered, as it would be for anyone else who had an accident on a motorbike".
However, he said there are some limited circumstances where that claim would not be covered - for instance, if the person's behaviour resulted in imprisonment.
A police spokesperson said there is no law or rules against this, however police "would advise anyone on a scooter or motorcycle to wear safe clothing".
Newshub.
