To try to save money on gas and maneuver around gridlock, some of you may be thinking about getting a motor scooter.
Motorized scooters are two-wheeled devices that have handlebars, a floorboard for you’re your feet to rest or to allow you to stand while riding.
While the California Vehicle Code does not require this mode of transportation to be registered, its rider must be at least 16-years-old and posses a valid drivers license or instruction permit. Motor scooter riders also must wear a helmet. Check with your automobile insurance company to see if you can add the vehicle to your insurance. Keep in mind that the vehicle code also does not require the scooter to be insured, or be fitted with a license plate.
Motor scooter drivers can ride them on a bicycle path, trail or bikeway but not on a sidewalk. If the rider chooses to ride on the road, the scooter must travel in the bicycle lane, if there is one. If there isn’t, motor scooters are allowed on roads where the speed limit is no more than 25 mph. In cases such as these, the rider must stay as close to the right hand curb as possible, except to pass or make a left turn.
