On Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:24:01 -0000, Terry Casey
wrote:



On Mon, 26 Dec 2011 16:22:14 -0000, "ARWadsworth"
wrote:

The next door neighbour had bought his lads a petrol scooter for
Christmas.

Is it illegal to ride them on the street?

I would not have had a go on it when his kids offered and driven it down the
street if I had known that it was illegal to do so.


They might not be too inconvenienced by points being allocated to a
licence they may not have yet for using a vehicle without insurance
etc,type approval registration plate , etc etc on a public road and
the adjoining pavements.


I doubt it needs a registration number/plate or, if it does, it should
be the least important issue ...

Adam will surely have a blanket clause in his insurance covering him for
any other vehicle "not owned ... by him ...".

I could be wrong but I was assuming by petrol powered scooter this is
one of those scooters that Children have had for yonks, roughly a
plank with a steerable wheel at the front and a wheel or sometimes two
at the back and no seat. not something like a Lambretta.
Such things in recent years have been available motorised ,sometimes
electric, sometimes Petrol. Not sure of the status with the real low
powered electric ones but those of reasonable power cannot take
advantage of electrically assisted bicycle rules as having no pedals
they plainly cannot be pedal assisted,even though a leg on the ground
could do the same. With petrol ones there is no grey area ,despite
being intended as a childs toy if it has an IC engine it is a vehicle
and has to be licenced ,registered and operated as a motor vehicle
with the rider being the correct age to hold a driving licence of the
right type if they are used on the public road.
Most would never get approval to be classed as such a vehicle and
legal use by any rider is confined to private land.
I don't think Adams insurance would cover one any more than if he
built a car out scaffold poles an old cement mixer engine and chicken
shed wheels. The police could throw the book at him if they caught him
riding it on the highway.The more charitable will explain the
situation and let you take it home but as it usually unwitting
youngsters but if they ignore the advice and are seen again the result
is often seizure of the scooter which may lead to its crushing.

G.Harman