The mad lads at FortNine are back at it, with a new video presenting the ultimate solution to almost every North American traffic problem: The humble 49cc scooter.

After watching that, American and Canadian riders should be asking: Why aren’t scooter manufacturers pushing this message, big-time?

Powered two-wheeler sales have been stagnant in North America since the great financial meltdown of 2008. There are multiple reasons for this, and we’ve discussed some of them on here before. A changing societal attitude towards gasoline engines, the rise of the smartphone dopamine rush, a diminishing amount of discretionary income—industry insiders have debated these questions for a decade. What the question often boils down to is this:How do we get people interested in motorcycles?And now we have our answer: Fuel prices.

摩托车, as this video points out, get excellent fuel economy (the Ruckus hits 120 mpg in this test!). A modern step-through can get twice the miles per gallon of a Toyota Prius, at a tenth of the cost (a scooter can be cheaper than a high-end bicycle, too!).

What’s that you say—still worried about environmental impact? Not only does a scooter get better fuel economy than the Prius, it also requires far less raw material to manufacture, so you’re saving the planet on that front as well. And, because it’s a lot less expensive, you aren’t required to work as long to earn money to purchase it, which should theoretically reduce its impact even further. Win-win-win.

And, you can ride these things on a car license, in most jurisdictions. Stop by a showroom, flash some cash, pick out a helmet, call your insurer, ride away.

So, again: Why aren’t manufacturers working overtime to promote these things?