Sheriff's office issues motor scooter rules

By KEVIN FAYLE

Motorized scooter owners listen up: Sunnyvale's Department of Public Safety, along with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office would like you to keep a few rules in mind for your safety and the safety of others. The office has received many inquiries about regulations for the vehicles, and would like everyone to know the rules of the road so that they can avoid a serious accident.

According to the sheriff's office, the law defines a motorized scooter as a vehicle with two wheels, a steering handle and either a gas, or electric engine. Anyone operating a motorized scooter must be at least 16 years old, but does not need to have a valid driver's license.

Lt. Steven Angus of the sheriff's office says that young people constitute a large percentage of motorized scooter users, and he believes from the volume of calls the office receives that the use of the scooters among local youths will continue to rise.

"I've been getting a lot of phone calls from concerned parents looking to buy [a scooter], or after their kids just came home with one. They're looking to know what the rules are, so I thought it'd be good to get that out."

Adds Capt. Chuck Eaneff of the public safety department, "There's a lot of scooters out there because the cost is down and availability is up. People need to be aware that there's a great chance for injury on those things."

Angus says no major incidents involving motorized scooters have occurred, but the inquiries keep coming in. The sheriff's office can't keep track of the number of scooters, since the state does not require operators to register their scooters.

"That's the interesting thing," Angus says. "They don't fall under the registration requirements of the motor vehicle code, so we don't actually know how many of them are out there." Angus believes the scooter trend will continue, however.

The sheriff's office lists these rules as essential knowledge for scooter drivers:

• The driver must wear a properly fitted helmet (a bicycle helmet will suffice),

• The scooter must be equipped with a brake;

• Scooters may only be operated on a road with a 25-mph speed limit, unless it is within a bike lane;

• Scooters must be ridden on the right edge of the road;

• Scooters may not be ridden on the sidewalk;

• Scooters may carry no passengers,

• The driver must keep one hand on the handlebars;

• The driver must walk the scooter when turning left;

• The scooter may not exceed 15 mph;

• Scooters must meet the same lighting requirements as bicycles when operated at night--a headlight, a taillight and side reflectors. These may be attached to the rider and not the scooter;

• Exhaust systems may not be modified if the noise level is increased.

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  These rules come from the California Vehicle Code, which scooter drivers or concerned parties can obtain through the Department of Motor Vehicles or the Sunnyvale Library. Anyone with further questions can contact the Sunnyvale DPS at 408.730.7110.

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