Petrol scooters...
Discussion
...my son who is 11 years old keeps on about one of these 'stand-on' or 'sit-on' petrol scooters....personally i dont want him to waste his saved up pocket money....but would like to know what the 'law' is regarding their use. Im fairly sure they cannot be used on public footpaths etc, and resonably confident they should only be used on private land...maybe some of you BiB can clarify the law on these for me..Thanks
Not a BiB, but as I understand it, Go-peds and the likes are classed as a motorised vehicle (I belive they are defined as motor scooters) under law and as such require tax and insurance before being allowed on the public highway.
Usage upon footpaths is also prohibited.
I'm sure someone will correct or add to my post on this.
Usage upon footpaths is also prohibited.
I'm sure someone will correct or add to my post on this.
nighthawkEP3 said:
Not a BiB, but as I understand it, Go-peds and the likes are classed as a motorised vehicle (I belive they are defined as motor scooters) under law and as such require tax and insurance before being allowed on the public highway.
Usage upon footpaths is also prohibited.
I'm sure someone will correct or add to my post on this.
Which would then prohibit an 11 year old then??
www.motorized-scooters.co.uk/safety.htm
And i think Tonyrec said they are bl00dy dangerous if you have an accident as there is zero protection
So your son will need :-
a provisional licence = aged 11 no chance
insurance - more money
a crash helmet - even more
That should put him of
And i think Tonyrec said they are bl00dy dangerous if you have an accident as there is zero protection
So your son will need :-
a provisional licence = aged 11 no chance
insurance - more money
a crash helmet - even more
That should put him of
satman said:
Which would then prohibit an 11 year old then??
Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & R(S)A sect 129
That section of law says it's illegal for ANYONE to ride on a pavement. There is also a thread somewhere on here about reversing responsibility where silverback mike confims the fact.
Granted a BiB isn't going to make a 5 year old cyle down a busy road, but a kid hoofing along the pavement on a go-ped would be sure to get upclose and personal with them.
out of interest then, whats the deal with those motorised pensioner buggies that mooch up and down pavements and also, more infrequently thank god, on roads? pensioners generally see it as thier right to have such conveyances, but is it really a grey area? if i get hit and injured (and they can move at a fair whack). what happens? also, as above, i have come across a couple crawling down roads. i couldnt believe it, but surely such things, if they go on the road have to have tax, ins, mot, etc etc? if it is legal, i cant believe the sheer stupidity of piloting something with less speed and protection than a sinclair c5 on a public road anyway. maybe thats just me though.
It was the arguement that Go-peds etc were not motor vehicles as they were not constructed or adapted for use on the road. Until a disqualified numpty driver at Harrogate went ride about and was collared.
DPP v Saddington (2001)
www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2000/409.html
is the High Court Case that brought these machines into the realms of Road Traffic Acts and Regulations.
Just waiting for a 12 yera old to ask advice re signing a Nip?
As to the GT Zimmer Frame Brigade they are well and truly controlled under the Use of Invalid Carriages on Highways Regs 1988 : Max 8 mph - down to 4 mph on a pavement by switch.
DVD
>> Edited by Dwight VanDriver on Tuesday 2nd March 06:41
DPP v Saddington (2001)
www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2000/409.html
is the High Court Case that brought these machines into the realms of Road Traffic Acts and Regulations.
Just waiting for a 12 yera old to ask advice re signing a Nip?
As to the GT Zimmer Frame Brigade they are well and truly controlled under the Use of Invalid Carriages on Highways Regs 1988 : Max 8 mph - down to 4 mph on a pavement by switch.
DVD
>> Edited by Dwight VanDriver on Tuesday 2nd March 06:41
trooper1212 said:
...or just live in a sleepy bedfordshire village like my brother-in-law 
Ach! And then they will start screaming for a speed cam to combat the speeding tweenies!
Our "kittens" would not even bother asking us for one of these!
And they also know what we would do to them if we copped them on one!
The eldest, however, could be awkward as he can just about remind me of the wheelchair days when, er, um, um, -- I used to "race" down the High Street and, er, um, "upset" the locals! (Well - it is hilly where I live - and those things pick up speed! And I was a bit of a numpty Learner Wheelchair driver at the time! And it had a "mind of its own" as well!)
Cornered well though!
Gosh!
DVD! Appear to have broken the law there as it was 1992-ish! Must have gone well over 4 mph! oops! Still - beyond the NIP deadline - I hope! But - never "drove" it on the roads, but got lots of aggro from ramblers and other pedestrians - who used to talk to me slowly and in a very loud voice!
interesting.
Having just bought an electric kit for a push bike I can shed a little light onto the law. can't make any sense but I can shed some light!. Electric vehicles (in this case push bikes) must have a motor output with an output power averaging no more than 250watts. (used to be 200watts (250watts for a tricycle) up until November 2003. also no indication as to what exactly 'average' means. and clearly a motor under load will draw a fair bit of current).
power to the motor must cease when the vehicle speed is in excess of 15MPH. fair enough.
Any retrofitted kit fitted to a push bike after November 2003 must have a pedal sensor which only engages the motor while the pedals are turning.
The kerb weight must not exceed 40Kg.
It's all a bit interesting though. firstly you can't prove when a kit was installed on a bike.
With the pedal sensor how can you prove that the motor isn't helping you above 15MPH as you can easily pedal a bike on the flat/downhill faster than that anyway.
250W will take you a damn sight faster than 15MPH.
All a bit ambiguous, but legally these are the conditions that have to be met to be road legal, though if it is road legal it doesn't need to be registered so is never tested as to whether it is road legal or not!.
Confused?.
They are pretty good though, especially the german made ones from H*******.... ..
Thought you might be interested!
Having just bought an electric kit for a push bike I can shed a little light onto the law. can't make any sense but I can shed some light!. Electric vehicles (in this case push bikes) must have a motor output with an output power averaging no more than 250watts. (used to be 200watts (250watts for a tricycle) up until November 2003. also no indication as to what exactly 'average' means. and clearly a motor under load will draw a fair bit of current).
power to the motor must cease when the vehicle speed is in excess of 15MPH. fair enough.
Any retrofitted kit fitted to a push bike after November 2003 must have a pedal sensor which only engages the motor while the pedals are turning.
The kerb weight must not exceed 40Kg.
It's all a bit interesting though. firstly you can't prove when a kit was installed on a bike.
With the pedal sensor how can you prove that the motor isn't helping you above 15MPH as you can easily pedal a bike on the flat/downhill faster than that anyway.
250W will take you a damn sight faster than 15MPH.
All a bit ambiguous, but legally these are the conditions that have to be met to be road legal, though if it is road legal it doesn't need to be registered so is never tested as to whether it is road legal or not!.
Confused?.
They are pretty good though, especially the german made ones from H*******.... ..
Thought you might be interested!
I've got a Go-Ped, unfortunatly it's been in bits for about a year, but I bought it to get around on at Trackdays and race meetings, but I've used it on the local highways and footpaths before 
I made the decision, if seen by plod to 'do a runner' there is no way a plod car is going to make the effort to chase someone at upto 30mph down an alleyway and I can't see then scrambling the copter to catch me, and as they have no reg plates and I never have any ID on me I could be anyone
Irisponsable yes, dangerious yes, good fun yes
I made the decision, if seen by plod to 'do a runner' there is no way a plod car is going to make the effort to chase someone at upto 30mph down an alleyway and I can't see then scrambling the copter to catch me, and as they have no reg plates and I never have any ID on me I could be anyone Irisponsable yes, dangerious yes, good fun yes
I had a couple of go-peds when they first came out in 1999. The bigfoot and the sportped IIRC.
I was stopped by the police once while travelling down the totenham court road - in the middle of four lanes at 3am. I have to admit that this is the only time I have ever driven/riden under the influence of alcohol. On this occasion I had about a bottle of vodka inside me and the police were right to stop me for my own safety. It was an instance where drink driving was something I'd never consider doing - except that on this occasion I'd had so much to drink that judgement went out of the window. I seem to recall I was planning on riding this thing all the way back to Hertfordshire!
As I saw the blue lights in my peripheral vision coming up behind me, I remember thinking "Holy shit - I'm in a LOT of trouble, will almost certainly be kept in the cells all night and will probably be in the papers in the morning. I mean it IS a ridiculous case of extreme irresponsibility.
To cut a long story short - I protested with the police that I was not subject to the traffic act and that it was a toy and not a form of motorised transport. He laughed and said "I think you'll find it needs tax, insurance, MOT, plates and a helmet Sonny Jim!" He was not best please with my cardboard defence!
After a delay of 10 mins and a protracted debate with somebody back at the station, he told me "Fold that
thing up and walk home you idiot!"
If I ever meet that copper again I'll shake him by the hand - He probably saved my life.
Since this case I believe gopeds have been put on a statutory footing and are classed as motor scooters. It's unlikely however that you'll be stopped and booked unless doing something irresponsible. And in my experience - goped riders are ALWAYS doing something irresponsible. Swerving over the road, bunny hopping up kerbs, slamming into the backs of vehicles or terrorising pedestrians are just a few of the games that gopeds were designed for.
Oh - and one final not of caution. Back brake first - front brake lightly. This avoids making your nose look like it's been attacked with a cheese grater.
I was stopped by the police once while travelling down the totenham court road - in the middle of four lanes at 3am. I have to admit that this is the only time I have ever driven/riden under the influence of alcohol. On this occasion I had about a bottle of vodka inside me and the police were right to stop me for my own safety. It was an instance where drink driving was something I'd never consider doing - except that on this occasion I'd had so much to drink that judgement went out of the window. I seem to recall I was planning on riding this thing all the way back to Hertfordshire!
As I saw the blue lights in my peripheral vision coming up behind me, I remember thinking "Holy shit - I'm in a LOT of trouble, will almost certainly be kept in the cells all night and will probably be in the papers in the morning. I mean it IS a ridiculous case of extreme irresponsibility.
To cut a long story short - I protested with the police that I was not subject to the traffic act and that it was a toy and not a form of motorised transport. He laughed and said "I think you'll find it needs tax, insurance, MOT, plates and a helmet Sonny Jim!" He was not best please with my cardboard defence!
After a delay of 10 mins and a protracted debate with somebody back at the station, he told me "Fold that
thing up and walk home you idiot!" If I ever meet that copper again I'll shake him by the hand - He probably saved my life.
Since this case I believe gopeds have been put on a statutory footing and are classed as motor scooters. It's unlikely however that you'll be stopped and booked unless doing something irresponsible. And in my experience - goped riders are ALWAYS doing something irresponsible. Swerving over the road, bunny hopping up kerbs, slamming into the backs of vehicles or terrorising pedestrians are just a few of the games that gopeds were designed for.
Oh - and one final not of caution. Back brake first - front brake lightly. This avoids making your nose look like it's been attacked with a cheese grater.
raceboy said:
I've got a Go-Ped, unfortunatly it's been in bits for about a year, but I bought it to get around on at Trackdays and race meetings, but I've used it on the local highways and footpaths before
Irisponsable yes, dangerious yes, good fun yes
I now have a mental picture of someone belting along, hanging over the handle bars to help the aerodynamics and plod running after them.
Brilliant...
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