What laws does America have regarding electric scooters?

L

Lavinia

Well-known Member
A few days ago, a woman died after being hit by a teenager on an electric scooter. There is a lot of confusion at the moment on the use of these vehicles...whether they are legally allowed on the roads or pavements (sidewalks). There is also a problem with disability scooters. People are not being given proper guidance on the use of them.
 

Sorry I laughed, but these laws mean absolutely nothing! @ohioboy! Cops are too busy catching homeless people shoving people onto subway tracks. The worst action is underground, so ground is considered to be delivery people rushing blindly to earn a living. Going back to the Wild West Days of the late '70's, '80's.

Seriously, rules for delivery people may as well be non existent. Pandemic related somehow.
 
No laws on them in Ontario. Here in Chatham with a large senior population those disability scooters seem to rule the road. The 3 wheeled electric ones ride right along with the traffic.
 
In downtown Cincinnati they are supposed to be banned after 6:pm to 6:am . But the local street thug/youth have figured out a way to to use their phones & booleg the software and use them free during any hour. They use them for purse-snatching, smash & grab theft ...... And they cruise through parking garages doing smash & grab theft there as well.

But, like guns not being the problem in shootings, it is not the fault of the scooters in this case. It is the little bastards that use them .......... So short of removing them from the street .... nothing will be done , since the scooters themselves are considered the menace .
 
In Pennsylvania, it depends on the size of the engine or motor. But the short answer is no, you do not need a license and the scooter does not require registration.
 
I think they should be forced to buy insurance to operate these vehicles. Bikers, too. They cause a lot of damage & get away scot-free.
 
Not sure if you mean mobility scooters and chairs or scooters that young people ride. I use a mobility chair and see a number of them in my small city. I don't see people abandoning them or breaking laws with them. They give people who cannot walk independence. Going to the store with mine is something I do often.
 
everything is motorized these days and people who use them do not always have control
powered skateboards/ the unicycle type motorized transport .... those scooters they place on street and any credit card can rent them ...
they even have the electric bikes that you can use as traditional bike or use motor for hills etc...
as a motorized item is cell phone used banned like a car? .... not that they enforce that anyway

i would need to look up if rules have changed but honestly in my area ...
They just quit enforcing current tags on cars ... only a secondary offense. most cited before were poor................................. so that has become " sorry your poor .. you do not need to follow the rules" in my state.

so my question is if i am hit be a NOT currently licensed vehicle does that make it 100% their fault as they should not be allowed to use streets the license fee is suppose to support?

they are quitting enforcing several current laws/ rules.
quit enforcing bike helmets because the super majority of the tickets issued were poor individuals ....
so throw safety out the window if in accident those unwilling or poor to not BUY a helmet will cost life long most likely to taxpayers ............ when they get a brain injury.
 
Lavinia said:
A few days ago, a woman died after being hit by a teenager on an electric scooter. There is a lot of confusion at the moment on the use of these vehicles...whether they are legally allowed on the roads or pavements (sidewalks). There is also a problem with disability scooters. People are not being given proper guidance on the use of them.
Click to expand...
I've never noted a problem with disability scooters. They don't go very fast.
But those 2-wheeled scooters are a danger to pedestrians when idiots use them on sidewalks. People have been seriously injured & sometimes killed by them. They aren't permitted on sidewalks, but (of course) some people ignore laws.
If someone ran into me with a scooter on a sidewalk, they better pray I can't get up.
 
E-scooters are not illegal in the UK and you can buy, sell and own one perfectly legally.
However, it is illegal to use an e-scooter in public unless it is rented as part of a recognised trial scheme.
Using an e-scooter on private land is legal but for public use they are classed as powered transporters, which means e-scooters are covered by the same laws that govern the use of cars and other motor vehicles.
That means it is illegal to ride them on pavements, footpaths, cycle lanes and in pedestrianised zones.
To be ridden on public roads they need to conform to the same rules as cars, with licence plates, indicators, rear lights, tax and insurance but those currently on sale don’t comply with these conditions.



The only exception to these laws is the government-approved trials being carried out in 32 cities around the UK.
E-scooters hired through these schemes can be ridden on roads and cycle paths and are insured by the operators. The scooters are limited to 15.5mph, with lower limits imposed in some areas via geofencing. Privately-owned e-scooters aren’t covered by the trials and are still illegal to use in public.

https://www.nationalworld.com/lifes...n-you-can-ride-them-and-are-they-safe-3316708
 
win231 said:
I've never noted a problem with disability scooters. They don't go very fast.
But those 2-wheeled scooters are a danger to pedestrians when idiots use them on sidewalks. People have been seriously injured & sometimes killed by them. They aren't permitted on sidewalks, but (of course) some people ignore laws.
If someone ran into me with a scooter on a sidewalk, they better pray I can't get up.
Click to expand...
in the USA your pavements tend to be much wider than ours so disability scooters, even E-scooters might not be as much of a problem as they are here... Try being hit by a Disability scooter travelling at 8 mph , with with a driver who is 280 pounds.. that's quite a force... and can and has killed people.

No-one should be allowed on a Disability scooter without instruction, a licence and insurance

As for E-scooters, they're a menace , they can reach 26 mph... depending on the make... and they're driven mainly by youths.. and are a menace on the roads and on the pavements....and a law regarding their use should be passed so no-one can ride one without a licence and insurance
 
hollydolly said:
To be ridden on public roads they need to conform to the same rules as cars, with licence plates, indicators, rear lights, tax and insurance but those currently on sale don’t comply with these conditions.
Click to expand...
exactly same line used in most articles on the subject i looked up .....
so basically unless there is enforcement people will do as they want regarding scooters and such.
 
The rules are really confusing for the trial rental companies. Helmets are provided and must be worn; must be over 18 (maybe 16) to rent and use a scooter. Neither of these rules are followed or enforced. They’ll use the sidewalks or bike lanes. The worst part is their failure to check if there’s anyone around before they change lanes. The lazy jerks will also park them right at a sidewalk crossing so anyone that is disabled has a problem. If they’re reported, they just lie and say someone else moved it.

The scooters for the disabled can be a liability too. A friend was injured with broken bones and in the hospital after being hit by a lady driving very fast when she pulled out of an alleyway. It’s like any driver, there are good and bad.
 

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