Scooters raising concerns

Jennifer Knight

Friday, Dec. 26, 2003 | 9:56 a.m.

They are shiny and fast and likely to hit the streets after Christmas with children as their illegal drivers.

The new electric and gas-powered scooters that seemed to fly off the shelves this holiday have law enforcement officials concerned that kids will ride their scooters on streets -- putting them in harm's way.

"You think of an 11-year-old kid who has no concept of speed or safety and he's out there on the same street with a 3,000-pound vehicle," said Sgt. Frank Weigand of Metro's traffic and fatality division. "It's a disaster waiting to happen."

Capable of going up to 22 mph, electric and gas-powered scooters cost from $170 to $600. If anyone under 16 is caught driving one on a public street, the additional costs could be significant, Weigand said.

No insurance or license plates are required for scooters, but because they are motorized, the law requires anyone riding one on a public street to have a Class C driver's license.

Metro Police Office H. Scholer said they are also, like bicycles, illegal to operate on sidewalks. He said the one place where they are legal to operate would be parking lots, such as those at churches or schools.

Despite those requirements, scooters seemed to be a popular item on the holiday wish list this season for kids.

"It's all the rage now," said Trish Glatter, co-owner of Have Scooter Will Travel in Las Vegas. "That's why you see them being sold at every corner."

Glatter said retail sales of scooters at her store tripled from last year.

Sandra Whittaker of Henderson said she bought five scooters for Christmas -- one for each of her grandchildren, ages 11 to 16.

"That's all they're asking for," Whittaker said. "The boys want the gas ones and the girls want the electric ones."

Matthew Lipford, 11, said he has wanted one for a while.

"It's popular with all of my friends," Lipford said as he was taking home a brand new electric scooter. "I felt left out for a while."

One parent who was recently pacing the floor of a retail shop looking at scooters said he wasn't quite sure about buying one.

"I still have some doubts about it," said Mike Errak of Las Vegas. "It seems a little bit dangerous. It's also a hefty ticket from what I hear."

Weigard said police are letting kids off with warnings now, but a fine can be in the hundreds of dollars if warnings are ignored.

"Technically they're illegal," Weigard said. "I'm not saying we're going to look the other way. But if no one notifies us, we don't patrol neighborhoods looking for kids on motor scooters."

So far, there have been no fatalities this year due to motorized scooters. Weigard said he hopes it stays that way but said, "With the growing popularity of these things, it's just a matter of time."