Jake
January 3rd, 2004, 04:45 AM
They're a popular new Christmas gift for kids, but police say that they're not toys - they're motor vehicles.
Scooters fall under the same category as motorcycles, according to state law, and therefore require the same permits and equipment as their larger counterparts, said Clarksdale Police Chief Steve Bingham.
"Everything for a motorcycle you need for a scooter," he said. "A driver's license, tags and registration, a helmet, working lights - it's all the same."
The scooters, which sell as cheap as $99 and as high as $1,200, are powered by either a two-cycle gasoline engine or a battery-powered electric motor, and some are capable of traveling at speeds in excess of 25 miles per hour.
They were a big seller in Clarksdale this season.
Kim's Pawn and Bargain Hunters sold about 300 of the items this season, according to employee Donna Armstrong.
"It was a huge seller for us," Armstrong said.
Wal-Mart also sold its fair share of the popular gift.
"We sold a pretty good bit of them - at least 30 to 40 of them," said Wal-Mart Manager Terrell Brooks, who will leave Clarksdale next week to take a job at a larger Wal-Mart in Alabama.
Children as young as 10 years old have been seen riding the scooters around the city, but police say that they will start ticketing parents pretty soon.
"We don't want to spoil the fun, but it's dangerous. These kids are darting out into the street without helmets," said Police Capt. Billy Joe Haley. "On Christmas morning, I got a couple of phone calls from people who almost hit kids on these things who were riding in the middle of the road."
The Coahoma County Sheriff's Department is also reviewing the situation.
Sheriff Andrew Thompson Jr. said that he hasn't determined how serious the problem is in the county yet, but he said that he is looking into it.
"I can tell you this," he said, "if someone is caught riding drunk on one of those things, they can still get a DUI."
Law-enforcement officials say they don't want to be the Grinch who stole Christmas, but they are pleading with parents to keep their kids safe.
"The biggest concern is the kids' safety," Haley said. "They can ride their scooters, but they have to do it somewhere safe, like the driveway or a parking lot - just not in the street."
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 5,900 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries that occurred while riding scooters during 2002. In 2001, emergency rooms treated 4,390 people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Scooters fall under the same category as motorcycles, according to state law, and therefore require the same permits and equipment as their larger counterparts, said Clarksdale Police Chief Steve Bingham.
"Everything for a motorcycle you need for a scooter," he said. "A driver's license, tags and registration, a helmet, working lights - it's all the same."
The scooters, which sell as cheap as $99 and as high as $1,200, are powered by either a two-cycle gasoline engine or a battery-powered electric motor, and some are capable of traveling at speeds in excess of 25 miles per hour.
They were a big seller in Clarksdale this season.
Kim's Pawn and Bargain Hunters sold about 300 of the items this season, according to employee Donna Armstrong.
"It was a huge seller for us," Armstrong said.
Wal-Mart also sold its fair share of the popular gift.
"We sold a pretty good bit of them - at least 30 to 40 of them," said Wal-Mart Manager Terrell Brooks, who will leave Clarksdale next week to take a job at a larger Wal-Mart in Alabama.
Children as young as 10 years old have been seen riding the scooters around the city, but police say that they will start ticketing parents pretty soon.
"We don't want to spoil the fun, but it's dangerous. These kids are darting out into the street without helmets," said Police Capt. Billy Joe Haley. "On Christmas morning, I got a couple of phone calls from people who almost hit kids on these things who were riding in the middle of the road."
The Coahoma County Sheriff's Department is also reviewing the situation.
Sheriff Andrew Thompson Jr. said that he hasn't determined how serious the problem is in the county yet, but he said that he is looking into it.
"I can tell you this," he said, "if someone is caught riding drunk on one of those things, they can still get a DUI."
Law-enforcement officials say they don't want to be the Grinch who stole Christmas, but they are pleading with parents to keep their kids safe.
"The biggest concern is the kids' safety," Haley said. "They can ride their scooters, but they have to do it somewhere safe, like the driveway or a parking lot - just not in the street."
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 5,900 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries that occurred while riding scooters during 2002. In 2001, emergency rooms treated 4,390 people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report