According to the state Department of Transportation, there have been 15 moped fatalities between 1998 and 2004 on O'ahu. In addition, there were 1,222 moped accidents resulting in injury between 1998 and 2002, the most recent year for which moped accident information was analyzed.

Just last week, a 67-year-old man on a moped was hit while waiting to turn left onto Kapi-'olani Boulevard from Pi'ikoi Street near Ala Moana Center.

Police said the driver of a 1996 Toyota Camry was in the middle lane of Pi'ikoi when she decided to turn left onto Kapi'olani and clipped the moped, sending the rider crashing to the pavement.

The moped rider, who was not wearing a helmet, suffered severe head injuries and was rushed to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition. The 43-year-old driver of the Camry was not injured.

Mopeds are a great way to get around in O'ahu, but they can be dangerous: There were 15 deaths between 1998 and 2004. Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser

• A 57-year-old pedestrian was critically injured Monday by a moped in Pawa'a and the two people riding on the moped were hurt in the incident.

• On March 14, Kaleo'okalani Joseph Peltier, 20, was killed when his moped collided with a milk delivery truck near the McDonald's restaurant in Wai'anae.

• A 30-year-old Nanakuli resident was injured March 9 when he lost control of his moped on Nanakuli Avenue near Lahikiola Place.

• A 27-year-old woman was slightly injured on Feb. 28 when she was knocked off her moped by a man who stole the vehicle at the Ala Wai Boat Harbor.

When a car collides with a moped or a moped rider hits a fixed object, the outcome is usually predictable, said Sgt. William Baldwin of the Honolulu Police Department's Traffic Division.

"You simply don't have a lot of protection," Baldwin said. "If you're going to ride a moped, you need to drive defensively, follow all of the traffic rules and regulations and try to protect yourself as much as possible."

A helmet, covered shoes, long pants, leather gloves and reflective vest will help make operating a moped safer, Baldwin said.

Longtime moped rider Jerry Robinson says he's had a few close calls but has avoided serious accidents over the years by keeping an eye peeled on everything and everyone.

Robinson, 66, lives in Kapahulu and uses his Malaguiti moped to travel to "almost anywhere on this island."

A retired city bus driver, Robinson said he's developed a sixth sense that tells him when other drivers "are about to do something stupid."

Robinson said he also wears a helmet, long pants, covered shoes and eye protection whenever he rides his moped.

"If you want a lesson in how not to do it, go down to Waikiki and watch the tourists who rent mopeds. Slippers, no shirt, no long pants, no helmets. And they're all over the road," Robinson said. "They give the rest of us a bad name."

Media coverage of the latest serious moped incidents set off another round of cries for tighter licensing requirements and mandatory safety training for moped riders.

Already, the University of Hawai'i-Manoa athletic department has a policy that prohibits student athletes from riding mopeds. The ban was adopted after several UH volleyball and football players were seriously injured in separate accidents.

George Burmeister, who sells an average of 70 mopeds a month from his Cycle Imports store on McCully Street, said that additional training is needed, but contends it's needed for car and truck drivers who are either oblivious to moped riders or who see moped riders and fail or refuse to yield the right of way.

Burmeister said that talk about further restricting moped use or requiring safety classes for moped riders is little more than a knee-jerk reaction to a single recent incident, one in which it appears the moped rider was not at fault.

"Fifteen fatalities over a six-year period with more than 15,000 mopeds registered on this island is a super-low percentage," Burmeister said.

As for the number of moped-related injuries over a four-year period, that "is to be expected" Burmeister said, given the fact that mopeds are many times smaller than the vehicles they share the roads with.

Mopeds are the vehicle of choice in many major cities in Asia and Europe, and with soaring gas prices that trend will likely continue, Burmeister said.

"People just have to become more aware of mopeds and not necessarily think in terms of changing the law. The moped riders are out there and we should be thankful they are or we would have a lot more traffic congestion to deal with," he said.