*** Palos Heights says no to motorized scooters ***

Palos, IL (AP) -- 07/09/2004
Municipalities throughout the Southland are cracking down
on motorized scooters that can travel at speeds up to 30 mph.

More than a dozen communities — including Orland Park,
Oak Forest, New Lenox, Chicago Ridge and Lemont
— have banned the electric- and gas-powered machines
popular with elementary and middle school children.

Claiming it's a safety measure, the Palos Heights City Council
followed that cue Tuesday when it unanimously approved an
ordinance prohibiting motorized scooters.

"We don't want to limit kids' fun, but these scooters go so fast
that it's not safe for the riders, licensed drivers or pedestrians,"
said Ald. Jean Gnap, 1st ward, chairwoman of the city's public
safety committee.

While it is illegal in Illinois to drive any motorized vehicle on
public roadways unless it is registered and the operator is licensed,
rules for scooters "have fallen through the cracks," Palos Heights
Police Chief Larry Yott said.

"Scooters are not really a motor vehicle because they don't have
the proper equipment like lights, and they're not licensed, registered
and insured," he said. "But they're more than a bike or a skateboard
because they have a motor."

That means the risk of injury is greater if riders fall off,
tip over onto the street, or get hit by another vehicle, Yott said.

Of the 5,900 injuries from motorized scooters nationwide in 2002,
children younger than 15 suffered more than 85 percent of the
broken arms, legs, wrists and ankles, the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission said.

In 2001, there were 16 fatalities related to scooters, including
a 13-year-old boy who died after being struck by a car while
riding a motorized scooter in St. Petersburg, Fla., the CPSC
reported in its most recent statistics.

Cook County is planning a six-month safety information
campaign before it enacts its scooter ban in January.

Tinley Park also is working on a scooter ordinance.
It will include a recommendation that all scooter riders
wear helmets and elbow and hand pads, Police
Chief Mike O'Connell said.

"I've seen 9- and 10-year-olds whipping down the street on them,"
O'Connell said. "It's just not safe."

While penalties vary by town, first-time violators can have
their scooter seized and be fined anywhere from $25 to $1,000.

Palos Heights' scooter ordinance carries a fine of $30 to $500.

"We're not interested in going around and writing a
12-year-old a ticket," Yott said. "If we see them out
on a scooter, we'll take them home and explain to their
parents that you can't ride on a public roadway."

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