And not purchasing these things?

No drivers Ed, no rules...nothing!

As a parent I wouldn't allow it. SMDH!

No helmets, either..at night, reflectors are required and must have a front light. So..day and night, ya gotta be on the look out for them and school is out now..another problem in itself

...and there will be more and more fatalities.

Maybe I am just old and cranky, but something just isn't right about this.

The wreckage in the article's first picture is not what I expected from "electric scooter" or "motorized scooter" but the article repeatedly calls it that, so I shall proceed with my two cents anyway.

In CA, motorized scooters are classified in such a way that a driver's license is required (in practice that means a minimum age as well). Only one rider allowed. And they have a 15 MPH speed limit, and limited operational areas.

From the CA state website:

Here is a quick summary:

Here in Seattle people speed around on these things, running lights, dodging in and out of traffic.

They can go 60 mph. They are supposed to follow speed limits, but no rider I've seen on the streets here does. And it is even a bit difficult to see how a cop would catch one of these things.

As far as I know, there's

No age requirement.

No licensing.

No insurance needed.

Just keeps on getting worse!

Meanwhile in my small town, they race through four-way-stop intersections without pause, onto and off of sidewalks without signaling, in and out of traffic, etc.

And I seldom see the rider wearing a helmet.

Cause a disproportionate number of accidents. It's frankly an epidemic.

That's against the law in most places, but 12-year-olds are not well-known for understanding and following adult laws. I'm afraid that too many parents are simply handing their kids such motorized vehicles and forgetting their responsibility to teach them to use them safely.

The end result will be a ban on the scooters, e-bikes, and other such things. That's a mistake, too.

Tragic ending to what the 12-year-olds thought was play.

...a fatal crash on a scooter.
Even if these were regulated to 35mph max, that doesn't make them safe.
I knew a guy, 2 months after he retired, was bike riding when a driver opened his door to get out.
Unfortunately, that was just when the retiree was going around the car.
Hit the door, went flying. Died of head & neck injuries.
This guy was in his mid 60s & wasn't a Tour de France candidate. Perhaps he was going 20mph. Still enough to cause fatal injuries.
If I were going to regulate these, I'd set the max at 15.
Realistically, nobody that has one of these convenience cycles needs to go faster than a modest bicycle ride.

I look for pedestrians and vehicle traffic. These scooters on a sidewalk doing 30mph do not register…..they can be in an intersection in a moment. Plus these kids seem to have no concept of traffic laws. Finally, I hope I’m not run over by one of these things while enjoying a stroll on a sidewalk; as a boomer, my hearing is degrading. Many expect you to know when they are approaching from the rear and further expect you to get out of the way.

Peace ☮️

though they are.

They need to be classifying them as motor vehicles, not allowing any children under 16 to ride them at all due to how fast they can go, and requiring that you have insurance on them just like a car. But I think only like 1 state has proposed this. Very sad. Parents should not be getting these for kids.