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Tougher laws needed
to slow speeding scooters

THE ISSUE Five fatalities involving mo-peds have occurred in the state so far this year.

LEGISLATION that would have toughened laws to prevent the souping up of miniature motorcycles was hardly noticed in this year's Legislature, but a recent flurry of fatal accidents should gain lawmakers' attention. Many owners, assisted by retailers, are illegally installing parts to make mo-peds travel at speeds beyond the realm of safety. They need to be slowed down.

Three weeks ago, 15-year-old Thomas Aldosa of Nanakuli became Hawaii's sixth fatality of the year involving mo-peds, compared with one in each of the previous two years. Although state law restricts the power of the vehicles, stores freely sell parts that allow them to reach 80 mph. Police suspect the tampering with mo-peds is related to the increased fatalities

Their popularity has surged nationally in the past two years by the introduction of pocket bikes, minimotos and pocket rockets, which stand less than 2 feet tall and can be purchased for as little as $300. Like the mo-peds from which they descend, they are limited by Hawaii law to two horsepower and a 50cc piston displacement, allowing them to go no faster than 35 mph for those made before 1998 and 30 mph for more recent models.

Four shop owners visited by a Star-Bulletin reporter posing as a customer last week offered to remove a mo-ped's restrictor, which keeps it below the speed limit. Modifying a mo-ped for speed is illegal, carrying a fine of up to $500, while selling parts that an owner can install is illegal.

The mo-peds are not built to go faster than the law specifies, and the pocket bikes are likely to travel beneath the scope of van and sport utility vehicle drivers. Souped-up mo-peds also go undetected by law enforcement because they are not registered.

Rep. Scott Nishimoto (D, Kaimuki-Waikiki) introduced a bill in this year's Legislature that would have required that mo-peds undergo annual inspections to check for added parts or the lack of a restrictor, and carry inspection stickers like those on cars and motorcycles. A companion bill would have prohibited the sale of mo-ped modifying parts. Neither bill was seriously considered.

Any new law should keep up with the new technology by including pocket bikes, far from the children's toys they at first seem to be when taken to the streets. Pocket bikes with capacities beyond those of mo-peds should be regarded as motorcycles and be regulated as such. Mo-ped operators must be 15 years old and have a driver's license, while motorcycle drivers need a special license.

Meanwhile, police spotting a moped traveling faster than 35 mph should conclude that a law is being broken. In the absence of new legislation, the best way to bring the speeding mo-peds under control is to pull over violators and prosecute them.

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