Is a child's electric ride-on classed as a motor vehicle?
Discussion
Mont Blanc said:
This is probably a very stupid question for all manner of reasons, but simply:
Is a child's ride-on electric powered vehicle, with a top speed of no more than 4mph classed as a motor vehicle of any kind, if it was driven on a pavement or public highway?
Is someone riding home from the pub on one again? Is a child's ride-on electric powered vehicle, with a top speed of no more than 4mph classed as a motor vehicle of any kind, if it was driven on a pavement or public highway?
Curious on this too...
My son has one (F Type SVR - very nice) and I happily let him use it locally on pavements but I have always wondered if it was legal.
Never met a policeman bored enough to do anything about it though!
And just to confirm, no good for getting home from the pub. They don't move with the weight of an adult in.
My son has one (F Type SVR - very nice) and I happily let him use it locally on pavements but I have always wondered if it was legal.
Never met a policeman bored enough to do anything about it though!
And just to confirm, no good for getting home from the pub. They don't move with the weight of an adult in.
NFT said:
Is someone riding home from the pub on one again?
That is scarily close to the truth, but not quite.blank said:
And just to confirm, no good for getting home from the pub. They don't move with the weight of an adult in.
They absolutely do 
I can confirm that both a CyberQuadee 24v Quad and a John Deere Gator made by Peg Perego will hit top speed easily with an adult on them. The Gator does nearly 6mph. In fact, any of the Peg Perego kids rid-on quads/tractors/cars are powerful enough for an adult to ride.
Edited by Mont Blanc on Saturday 2nd March 21:03
Wacky Racer said:
Can't see why you can't ride one along a pavement (With parental supervision), when electric mobility scooters are allowed.
This is the interesting bit.Electric Mobility scooters or electric wheelchairs (Class 1 & 2) with a top speed of 4mph or less are, as you correctly state, exempt from pretty much the rules and can drive on pavements.
You would have through this applies to kids electric vehicles as well.
But, there are rules on who can legally use such vehicles:
“You can only drive a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair if one of the following applies:
you have trouble walking because of an injury, physical disability or medical condition
you’re taking the vehicle to or from maintenance or repair
you’re the manufacturer testing the vehicle
you’re demonstrating the vehicle before it’s sold
you’re training a disabled user
If none of these applies to you and you have an accident, you may be given the same penalty as if you were driving a car. You can go to prison, get a driving ban or get an unlimited fine”
So basically a kids ride on toy with a top speed of only 3 or 4 mph is classed as a motor vehicle if used on pavements or the public highway.
This was my suspicion, but I just wanted to know if anyone knew differently, or if there were any exemptions that applied to such slow moving and low powered vehicles.
Sebring440 said:
Super Sonic said:
If they were classed as a motor vehicle then children would need driving licences to drive them.
You forgot to add: "...on public roads."Super Sonic said:
So what about electric bicycles? The legal ones. Is that a motor vehicle? Do you need a licence to ride them on public roads?
They have a well defined exemption, which kind of reinforces the point that everything else is illegal.Kids under 10 have no criminal resposibility though.
Battery versions of pedal cars are not new, some spoilt brats had them last century.
rambo19 said:
IIRC, did'nt a rugby player get done for DD whilst driving a golf buggy on the road?
He wasn't caught driving it, he'd stopped at the motorway service station having driven down the hard shoulder! https://www.ruck.co.uk/six-times-rugby-players-ser...
OutInTheShed said:
Super Sonic said:
So what about electric bicycles? The legal ones. Is that a motor vehicle? Do you need a licence to ride them on public roads?
They have a well defined exemption, which kind of reinforces the point that everything else is illegal.Kids under 10 have no criminal resposibility though.
Battery versions of pedal cars are not new, some spoilt brats had them last century.
Electric bicycles have clearly defined exemptions as you say. So clearly defined, that if your exceed the speed or power stipulations, by any margin, they legally become a motorcycle.
Our law appears to class everything powered as a motor vehicle unless there is a very specific exemption.
The fact that kids under 10 cannot be prosecuted is also no guarantee of a free pass. A particularly over zealous police officer could suggest that the vehicle was owned by the parent, and that the parent was therefore knowingly allowing a vehicle to be used illegally.
“Causing or permitting another to drive without insurance” would be an easy and brutal charge to slap a parent with.
Mont Blanc said:
OutInTheShed said:
Super Sonic said:
So what about electric bicycles? The legal ones. Is that a motor vehicle? Do you need a licence to ride them on public roads?
They have a well defined exemption, which kind of reinforces the point that everything else is illegal.Kids under 10 have no criminal resposibility though.
Battery versions of pedal cars are not new, some spoilt brats had them last century.
Electric bicycles have clearly defined exemptions as you say. So clearly defined, that if your exceed the speed or power stipulations, by any margin, they legally become a motorcycle.
Our law appears to class everything powered as a motor vehicle unless there is a very specific exemption.
[b]The fact that kids under 10 cannot be prosecuted is also no guarantee of a free pass. A particularly over zealous police officer could suggest that the vehicle was owned by the parent, and that the parent was therefore knowingly allowing a vehicle to be used illegally.
“Causing or permitting another to drive without insurance” would be an easy and brutal charge to slap a parent with/[b].
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