Saratoga News Tell Santa to forget those hot motorized skateboards Kids may love them, cops say they're illegal Just call them 'vehicles' By Michelle Alaimo Thinking about buying your teen-ager a motorized skateboard for Christmas? Think again. "They are flat-out illegal," Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputy Doug Havig of the Westside Substation, says. Three Saratoga juveniles found this out the hard way in two separate incidents over Thanksgiving weekend, Havig said. California Vehicle Code 21968 states that "No motorized skateboard may be propelled on any sidewalk, roadway, or any other part of a highway or on any bikeway, bicycle path or trail, equestrian trail, or hiking or recreational trail." Even though the motorized skateboards and other similar devices, including Go-ped, Blatino Scooter, ZIP Electric Scooter and Motoboard, are marketed for short distance travel and outdoor use, they are illegal--except for use on private property, Havig said. He added that one of the juveniles told deputies that a store in San Jose told him that the Go-ped motorized skateboard was legal for use on streets Section 670 of the vehicle code defines a vehicle as "a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved, or drawn upon a highway, excepting a device moved exclusively by human power." In a California Highway Patrol bulletin issued in April, the CHP stated that themotorized skateboards fall into the vehicle category and must meet all requirements in the code, including safety equipment and registration. Evan Nossoff with the California Department of Vehicles said, however, "If the law doesn't cover them, we don't license them." Not only are the devices--some of which cost as much as $700--illegal, they can also be dangerous, Havig said. Some of the motorized devices can go as fast as 20 mph and are not very stable. He also said the devices offer limited visibility. "It is very dangerous for a young adult to travel at 20 to 25 mph down a roadway with no safety features," Havig said. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, December 16, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.