Arizona passed laws (SB 1398) for electric scooters at the state level in April 2019. They are treated very similarly to bicycles, and a “standing electric scooter” is defined as less than 75 lbs in weight and 20 mph in maximum speed. Rhode Island has no statewide legislation for electric scooters, and pilot programs for scooter sharing are conducted by cities. The City of Providence requires a valid driver`s license or municipal ID. Scooters can be driven on sidewalks or roads, and cyclists are encouraged to drive slowly and wear a helmet. On the road, drivers are required to follow all the rules of the road and follow the rules of traffic. In October 2020, DC passed a new law regulating and defining electric scooters. Law DC 50-2201.02 defines scooters as a “personal mobility device” or “PMD” – “a motorized propulsion device designed to carry a person or a self-balancing wheeled device and not powered in tandem [i.e. a Segway], designed to carry a single person.
however, does not include a battery-powered wheelchair. West Virginia doesn`t have laws regarding electric scooters, but they passed a law regulating electric bikes in 2020. It can be assumed that these regulations will extend to scooters in the near future. This new law exempted e-bikes from licensing, registration and insurance requirements. It also stipulates that e-bikes must follow the same traffic rules as bicycles and stipulates that cyclists under the age of 15 must wear a helmet. Users are not allowed to ride the scooters on sidewalks facing a building. In March 2019, House Bill 258 was signed in Kentucky. It sets operating standards for electric scooters and allows them to ride like bicycles on public roads. This means you don`t need to register them with the state, get insurance, or have a driver`s license. Electric scooters can be used by a person aged 16 and over. By law, an electric scooter must be equipped with a white front light and a red rear light to maximize visibility.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis legalized the use of electric scooters statewide in 2019. Drivers must be 16 years old, but do not need to have a driver`s license. Scooters are allowed to ride on bike paths and must also follow the traffic rules for bicycles. The bill allowed individual cities to regulate scooter programs, but personal ownership of scooters cannot be tied to the decisions of individual cities. Scooters are not allowed to exceed a top speed of 30 miles per hour, although attorney Matt Dolman notes that “Florida law does not give scooters allowed to exceed 15 miles per hour [in particular] essentially the same status as bicycles.” The most common minimum age in the country to ride electric scooters is 16 and older, and helmets are usually required for people under the age of 18. In states where helmet use is mandatory for all ages, this is usually an extension of moped laws to electric scooters. No governing body recommends that a cyclist not wear a helmet, and in particular (as is the case with bicycles), cyclists are trusted to make responsible decisions about their health and to wear a helmet. Electric scooters and e-bikes are programmed with a maximum speed of 15 MPH and automatically slow down to 6 MPH in designated “slow zones”. 50-2201.04a states that scooters are not considered motor vehicles (i.e. cars and motorcycles) under the DC Act, so a license, registration and insurance are not required. However, there is a minimum age of 16 years.
Helmets are not mandatory and scooters cannot be driven on the sidewalks of the central business district. Although no U.S. state has a speed limit of less than 15 mph, DC currently has a speed limit of 10 mph. This regulation was created in order to share scooters, but for the moment it still affects private scooters. Another rule unique to DC is that drivers are not allowed to wear headphones. House Bill 500, which went into effect to update section 321.1 of the Iowa Code of 2019, amends laws regarding electric scooters. The bill allows a person to drive an electric scooter on highways with a speed limit of 35 miles per hour or less, bike lanes and sidewalks. They can be parked wherever bicycles are parked, as long as they do not impede pedestrians` right-of-way.
As they have many regulations for bicycles, there is no licensing or insurance requirement. Electric scooters must have a white front light and a red taillight. Alternatively, a red rear reflector can be used instead of the red taillight. An owner must register their motorcycle or motorized scooter with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. They must complete an application by entering information about themselves and their vehicle and paying a fee. Once their application is submitted, they will receive notifications about the status of their title. Once their application is accepted, they will receive their signature and registration by mail. Council member Matthew Petty said he had prepared for the arrival of electric scooters. Problems can also be reported directly to the city via the SeeClickFix platform.
This can include parking issues, non-functional scooters, and reports of dangerous driving. Electric scooters are legal in Minnesota and are classified as “motorized walking scooters” on which drivers can stand or sit. Scooters must have handlebars, be powered by an electric motor or internal combustion engine, have wheels not exceeding 12 inches in diameter and have a maximum speed not exceeding 15 miles per hour. Cyclists must be at least 12 years old and helmet use is mandatory for people under 18 years of age. Wyoming doesn`t have specific laws on electric scooters, but the state passed a law in 2019 that grants electric bikes the same privileges as traditional bikes and defines different types of light passenger cars.