The way we travel says a lot. A recent article published by the New York Times analyzes Iraq’s sudden increase in motor scooter use. It also offers an astute look into everyday life as an Iraqi.

As tensions flare due to the war, traffic jams, threats of car bombs and other system failures, the scooter has risen as an unexpected response to the tension. According to the article, the scooter’s appeal stems from several factors. The most notable being its cost effectiveness, ability to detract attention from both militia and checkpoint guards, as well as allowing riders to swiftly navigate lenghty traffic jams.

The NY Times describes it best when they say, “Every day, more cars venture onto Baghdad’s dust-choked streets, adding to epic traffic jams and sending blood-pressure levels through the roof, as drivers spew invective, gesticulate wildly and steadfastly ignore any and all driving laws. But tens of thousands of Baghdadis have found an antidote in the venerable motor scooter.”

“Guards at checkpoints often wave scooters through. Soldiers tend to view scooter drivers with less suspicion because, unlike people in cars, their bodies are in plain sight. Scooters are easy to navigate around blast walls.”

“Mr. Jawad loves his scooter because, quite simply, it is fun, what with the wind whipping through his hair and car drivers gnashing their teeth as he blithely scoots by. ‘You know, I feel very happy on my scooter,’ he said.”

“Scooter accidents are increasing. And suicide bombers have been known to ignite their explosives on scooters, so the police and soldiers have begun stopping and searching some scooters and their drivers. Such troubles seemed far from Mr. Jawad’s mind as he revved his prized Yomaha one recent sunlit afternoon. He squinted, lighted a cigarette and slipped on a pair of plastic mirrored sunglasses. His son, Amir, 12, was riding with him, and looped his arms around his father’s waist. ‘My wife tells me not to drive fast,’ Mr. Jawad said, sharply inhaling the smoke. ‘I never obey what she says.’ He paused, exhaled and reconsidered. ‘But my son is with me.’ So that day, he said, he would go about 50 miles per hour.Then he drove off into the anarchy of Baghdad’s streets.”

Read the New York Times’ A New Sensation in Iraq: Motor Scooter