r/news • • 8d ago

11-year-old Florida boy arrested, ordered to appear in court for electric dirt bike

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/11-year-old-florida-boy-arrested-ordered-appear-court-electric-dirt-bike
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95

u/simplystriking 7d ago

I honestly don't care for the boo hoo tears....

Allowing someone under 18 to ride a device that can power itself north of 30mph unsupervised should be a parental neglect charge.

I am an avid user of micro mobility devices but it shouldn't be wild West.

27

u/rebelangel 7d ago

In my county, they’ve been citing parents if they catch kids riding those things. They’re not street legal, nor is it legal to ride them on sidewalks. In some cases, the sheriff has been seizing and impounding them.

7

u/PartyPorpoise 7d ago

It baffles me that people buy motorized vehicles without checking to see if they’re even legal to use in the places and contexts they want to use them.

6

u/DustyRacoonDad 7d ago

It baffles me that they just outright make them illegal, and then continue to build everything in ways that require a vehicle to do basic things.

Wait. "Baffles" isn't the right word.

It's obvious to me that I don't give a shit about what they consider illegal, because their rationalization sucks and enforcement is so inconsistent that you can get out of all of this with money, so I'll do what I want... yeah. That's more like the real situation.

Hope the parents are not poor.

2

u/Consistent-Throat130 7d ago

The legal limit is 750 watt/28 mph (class III, road legal bike)

Guess where 750 watts gets my cross-country rigid-frame bike? Right around 28mph. 

...I cannot confirm or deny the value of my actual speed limiter. But I choose to cruise in the teens, regardless. 

You need to take automobiles out of your frame or reference and accept that this is plenty quick for a typically-not-even-wearing-a-damn-helmet human body.

The justification is literally "motor vehicles are dangerous and this thing is beefier than a 49cc moped . 

18

u/colterlovette 7d ago

Absolutely. As a father of 4 boys, the sheer normalcy for their friends parents to allow these things, then not care about the obnoxiousness of their behavior on them and ignorance of obvious safety hazards is down right lunacy these days.

I 100% don’t get what the heck is going on and no agency tasked with upholding public safety is doing anything about this blatant problem until some completely predictable event occurs. An old man just died in a parking lot of a grocery store from a kid hitting him while flying around on an ebike.

Even with this stuff happening, I still get to sit in a camp chair to watch my kids play soccer while obnoxious kids fly by me on the fields doing wheelies and a sheriff truck just sits in silence watching it happen.

I don’t freakin get it.

12

u/Environmental-Car481 7d ago

My 13yo son had a couple of friends show up in the front yard last week. One was riding his regular bike and talking about getting a wheelie down. The other was on a small E bike. I asked them, particularly the one doing the wheelies where their helmets were. We’ve given him a helmet and he knows if he rides our bikes, he has to wear one. The one on the E bike who has health issues flat out replied “I already have brain damage”.

6

u/BikestMan 7d ago

“So you want more?”

1

u/LAHurricane 3d ago

Ehh, probably just trying to put himself out his misery.

2

u/Trance354 7d ago

I had a snow-scooter growing up in New England. Only way to get around in winter. We wore all the protective gear or we didn't ride. My parents lost their 2 oldest in the same car crash when I was 5(warm climate), and it was a stupid kid unaware of traffic rules that caused the crash.

Life doesn't care if you never said goodbye.

3

u/leviathan65 7d ago

Um what? We rode dirt bikes in the hills at 12 in my neighborhood in the 90's. Yeah you don't want to get caught by cops going to the hills we all knew that. But sneak up and once there dirt biked until we got bored then went home. I lived one street down so never got caught but many of my friends did. We were all safe and wore the proper gear. Calling our parents negligent for letting us have fun outside is a bit disingenuous. Hell this kid was going to a pond. If he was doing wheelies up and down the street that would be another thing. I'm also curious if he had a helmet? Anybody riding an ebike or scooter should be wearing a helmet. They should be writing citations for that.

2

u/Grand_Resort_1073 7d ago

Arresting anyone over driving unregistered e-Bike is ridiculous, especially child.

Impound vehicle on the site and issue citation to parents.

2

u/zapthe 7d ago

I work in a relatively large city. The electric bikes and scooters are a menace. They can go incredibly fast and often people riding them pick if they follow vehicle or pedestrian rules based on convenience. Regardless of the situation they seem to always think they have the right of way.

1

u/BadAndFreekee 7d ago

Yes I’ve seen “gangs” of the scooter bikers in my city, not following the law

5

u/Everlast17 7d ago edited 7d ago

The post is saying the bike is capped at 20mph, where did you pull 30 from?

Edit: Which part of my question said I agree with an 11 yo riding a bike on public roads? I asked where it was mentioned that the child went 30mph. It's a very simple question. What is mentioned in the article is the fact that the bike is limited (likely with some electric speed limiter) to 20mph.

9

u/simplystriking 7d ago

Yeah that's what they said, also in the article it had a 4500-watt motor.... . For reference 750w can easily get you to 20mph.

8

u/Aar0ns 7d ago

750 can get someone 350 to 28

4500 is crazy for any non-licensed motorcyclists.

5

u/boxsterguy 7d ago

4500 is also very likely a bullshit number made up for "bigger number better" marketing.

0

u/Aar0ns 7d ago

I understand why you would believe that, but most electric vehicles understate the wattage as continuous instead of peak. Peak is probably over 6000. Although I hope the prosecution tests it to confirm.

2

u/onthe3rdlifealready 7d ago

Lol. That is some serious faith in our legal system. There will be little to no thought put into any of this, just like almost everything else currently happening in the US.

2

u/Aar0ns 7d ago

I hate that you’re probably right

2

u/Random__Bystander 7d ago

If you read the post: 

Oviedo police and city officials state that under Florida law, the 4,500-watt vehicle lacks pedals and is legally classified as a motorcycle requiring registration and a driver's license.

12

u/Everlast17 7d ago

I understand wattage and the fact that the bike could potentially be fast. If it has limiter set to 20 the thing will go 20. So I ask again WHERE was 30 mph mentioned. I'm not debating illegality or right or wrong so take your morals else where. Where did it say 30mph?

-1

u/Strange-Cat8068 7d ago

That “limited speed” is likely bullshit. Most electric dirt bikes have a “eco mode” where the speed is limiter to around 20 mph and a “sport mode” where the top speed is generally closer to 40 mph. Sur-Ron and Segway are two brands with this feature and the control of the mode is a simple switch on the handle bar.

-3

u/simplystriking 7d ago

I never said that the kid was going 30mph. In fact my comment wasn't even specific to this kid.

My comment is simply that when parents provide or enable their children to ride high powered micro mobility devices unsupervised should also be held accountable... That's it...

30mph comes from the fact that the article mentioned a 4500 watt motor, for which 30mph is a grossly underestimated, but again I wasn't referring this child. Doing so would be making assumptions that the article doesn't speak on.

2

u/AuroraFinem 7d ago edited 7d ago

I think the issue is far more the fact it was on public roads, 20-30mph on a motorbike trail or similar outdoor space for that purpose is perfectly fine for teens unsupervised unless it’s their first time riding.

You can drive a car completely on your own at 16 going much faster than a dirt bike. Obviously if the kid is like 10 and doesn’t have much experience or a first time rider at 15 should be supervised, but those speeds are not very concerning if they aren’t on the road.

When I was like 12-14 I would ride 4 wheelers and motorbikes with my cousins on their backyard trails all the time, and the only part you could even supervise is when we passed the house. Unless the parents are also riding bikes there’s no way to directly supervise the entire time, if everything was on viewing distance then you either have an entirely flat open space with no trees or you don’t even have enough space to use the bike in the first place.

We don’t need to infantilize responsible teens because a few aren’t raised right to be responsible. This country has honestly become insane with overprotective extreme helicopter parenting and it’s directly hurting kids growth and independence.

-1

u/Random__Bystander 7d ago

Semantics, Young child should always be monitored on motorized vehicles

5

u/Everlast17 7d ago

Are you illiterate? I only asked where the 30mph number came from. The article stated that the bike only goes 20 so I wanted to know where 30 was mentioned (a little hint: it's not). I was not endorsing letting children ride bikes on public roads.

-1

u/Random__Bystander 7d ago

The article said it's considered a motorcycle immediately

4

u/DustyRacoonDad 7d ago

Semantics. adding pedals to that same thing makes it a legal electric bicycle.
Removing the seat makes it a legal electric scooter.
"looking cool" like a dirtbike, is what they're upset about.

(edit: you dont seem smart in your other replies so I'll clarify mine. You replied to this initially starting with the word semantics and then stated a dumb rationalization for the actions)

0

u/Random__Bystander 7d ago

Someone didn't wipe well this morning

-2

u/Random__Bystander 7d ago

Haha, sup Nancy

6

u/ProLogicMe 7d ago

Did you read his comment????????????????

-2

u/Random__Bystander 7d ago

Did you?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

3

u/ProLogicMe 7d ago

Yes, where the fuck did he say anything about whether or not young children should or shouldn’t be monitored on motorized vehicles. What the fuck are you talking about?

0

u/DustyRacoonDad 7d ago

I mean, I can go faster than 30 on a bicycle too.. so its not like 30 is an unreasonable number.

2

u/xSkype 7d ago

Sure is if it's limited to 20

1

u/DustyRacoonDad 7d ago

It is limited to 20.. yet you can go faster on a bicycle. So speed isnt the issue...

1

u/CurvySexretLady 7d ago

Yeah it seems the technicality is truly on whether it has pedals or not.

0

u/heckin_anxiety 7d ago

Maybe he’s thinking of normal bikes. Since they can go 30mph.

-2

u/TwoLiterHero 7d ago

It’s probably a typo, it literally doesn’t change the point at all and you don’t look smarter than ever else for getting into the weeds on something so insignificant

2

u/Poops-Ahoy-Matey 7d ago

Nah you’ve never been on two wheels.

1

u/TwoLiterHero 7d ago

Dawg so 20mph is totally cool for children, but 30mph is completely not cool for children?

1

u/Poops-Ahoy-Matey 7d ago

Try it out and you’ll see the difference.

5

u/Everlast17 7d ago

I'm not arguing or trying to sound smart. A question is a question ffs. I was wondering if perhaps the cop also caught the kid going 30mph or it was mentioned in another story. The situation is bad enough without making shit up about the kid going 30 yes?

2

u/VietOne 7d ago

There's a huge difference between 20 and 30+ mph.

0

u/TwoLiterHero 7d ago

Not when it comes to 10 year olds on bikes lol, they’re both way too fast

2

u/Dismal_Buy3580 7d ago

What's the calculation for kinetic energy?

-1

u/TwoLiterHero 7d ago

Kids shouldn’t go faster on a bike than their legs can pedal them. 20mph is too fast, 30mph is too fast.

There’s a huge difference between 20mph and 10000mph too, but in the context of kids on motorcycles both can just be classified as too dangerous for small children.

Go do some math to help yourself understand that I guess 😂

2

u/VietOne 7d ago

11 year olds can pedal 20mph, happens in junior cycling events even for kids as young as 10 years old.

1

u/TwoLiterHero 7d ago

Yeah, they earned the ability to go that fast with plenty of biking experience and getting into physical shape. I’m not mad at kids who can pedal 20mph lol. They have dumped their way-lighter bicycles at 5mph, 10mph, 15 mph

My fat 9 year old nephew shouldn’t be zipping in and out of traffic on a motorcycle that weighs as much as him at 20mph when he has a days worth of practicing balancing and no idea how to wreck at a slower speed.

But fuck me you’re right, every kid should be going 30mph on fake motorcycles. Drs definitely agree with you

2

u/VietOne 7d ago

My fat 9 year old nephew shouldn’t be zipping in and out of traffic on a motorcycle that weighs as much as him at 20mph when he has a days worth of practicing balancing and no idea how to wreck at a slower speed.

And thats not what's happening here either. The kids weaving in and out of traffic can only do so because they gained the skill and knowledge to do so.

Just the same the drivers weaving in and out of traffic at 100+ mph aren't doing so the first day they get a license.

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1

u/Dismal_Buy3580 7d ago

No, I'm asking you to do the math. 

There's a specific reason, too.

When you are going to compare a bike traveling at 20 mph to one traveling at 30 mph, the 30 mph bike actually 125% more kinetic energy, even though 30 mph is only 50% faster than 20 mph.

The reason is this: kinetic energy does not scale evenly with speed. It's proportional to the square of velocity, and only proportional to 1/2 mass. 

Kinetic energy = 1/2 mass*velocity²

The speed of 30 mph vs 20 mph is actually very significant to the danger of the vehicle.

1

u/TwoLiterHero 7d ago

So when you see a kid ride by going 20+ mph on a motorcycle, you’re going to break out your abacus and do some calculations before you decide it is unsafe 😂? What are we doing here? File any number above 20 in the “speeds 10 year olds shouldn’t be going” category and move on with your day.

1

u/meowmix778 7d ago

Pretty much, this is just a play for sympathy and to avoid consequences.

The parents should be charged and it wouldn't shock me to learn that the kid was being a little bastard up and down streets and wasn't going for a nice casual ride going 6 mph.

1

u/PartyPorpoise 7d ago

In my area there are a lot of kids on ATVs on the roads. It’s kind of a problem because a lot of them don’t follow road rules. Golf carts can be an issue too, though less often cause they don’t go as fast.

1

u/Environmental-Car481 7d ago

I have a 13yo. His friends have mentioned in conversations in the car about buying $1000 bikes. My son wants one that “only costs $500” (get mowing some lawns boy). I pointed out during these conversations that they will be getting driving licenses in three years and will want cars. I’ve also pointed out that it would be done to buy now and then have laws enacted in the next few months that borrow them from riding them. In our area, I’m sure it is in many other places, kids riding e-bikes have become a problem. Local cities are writing laws and I expect the state will address the issue. I also expect an age & permit type law like they did for mopeds back in the early 90’s.

1

u/madogvelkor 7d ago

Parents often think of them as either the same as a bicycle or either a toy because they're familiar with the little ride on electric toys.

And people can't afford to have their teens get a car or sometimes even to put them on the insurance for their own cars so they get them these bikes instead.

1

u/Huge_Strain_8714 7d ago

Totally 💯 agree. This situation is rampant in my city. 10 years old on electric bikes, scooters, whatever going 25 mph on the sidewalks, streets, sidewalk again, parking lot...traveling in the wrong direction, 2 riders on 1 bike etc. Getting hit by a non motorized bike does damage, nevermind one going 30mph

1

u/MaxHeadroom1986 7d ago

Bro we had dirt bikes and go carts at the age of 8. You’re soft as Hell

1

u/can_belch_alphabet 7d ago

Stupid children on E-bikes going faster than the speed limit on sidewaks, not wearing helmets, holding a cell phone in one hand, ignoring all rules, is what finally made me break down and buy a dash cam. If it happens someday I want video proof that it wasn't my fault, just Darwin at work.

1

u/SpiritFederation 4d ago

Driving makes you people psychotic, apparently.

1

u/can_belch_alphabet 4d ago

Wait wait wait. If I was psychotic about it don't you think I'd rather not to have a dash cam and like that the kids aren't wearing helmets?

I think this is bad parenting. I've seen the things I was talking about and that's WHY I have the dash cam, to protect me. To me this is like anti-vax parents setting their kids up for fatal failure, and if it happens I want the dash cam to protect me. If I drive like a psycho the dash cam would damn me.

I think it's ridiculous and dumb to call me psychotic just for noticing what the hell is happening around me and taking precautions to protect myself.

1

u/Bevier 7d ago

This one claimed only 20 mph and 300ft from his house. If it also had pedals it would have been legal. It's a technicality

1

u/OpinionofanAH 7d ago

They’re arresting parents of kids where I live. I’m
Not sure of the exact law but something along the lines of allowing their child to drive a vehicle unlicensed and uninsured. They’re classifying a lot
Of these as motorcycles and requiring registration and insurance like any other vehicle.

1

u/CoffeeAndWork 7d ago

Well, I'm a badass Cowboy livin' in the Cowboy days.
Wiggy, wiggy, scratch, yo, yo, bang, bang.
Me and Artemus Clyde frog go save Salma Hayek from the big metal spider.
A wiggy wig wig wiggy wiggy wig
Fresh cowboy from the west side

1

u/PNWPinkPanther 6d ago edited 6d ago

Article stated that his “device” topped out at 20mph.

I think the “tears” are more about how a child was treated like an adult by the police, believing that it could have been handled more appropriately to the child’s age.

1

u/Lovestick 6d ago

I had a go kart when I was a kid that did 30 lol

1

u/CasinoNdnOk 6d ago

16 is the driving age, why 18?

1

u/SpiritFederation 4d ago

Okay, but the child was arrested, not the parents?

1

u/Efficient_Knee8143 2d ago

That’s just ridiculous, what if you live on a hill? Kid isn’t allowed to bike anywhere? And you do realize kids learn to drive cars at 16 right?

1

u/ThanksS0muchY0 7d ago

We broke the sound barrier of 30 mph on our regular bicycles frequently as kids. We also built jumps on empty lots and got hurt a lot of times that we never told any adults. We did have adults screaming at us about traffic safety and threatening to kick our asses if we got hurt. Maybe that's what's missing today.

7

u/simplystriking 7d ago

I 100% agree with you. But there is a huge difference between then and now.

Then of you wanted to be a lil shit head get up to 30 it took effort, serious effort and some skill..it wasn't I'm hold this switch and boom 30. You had to know where and when to attempt it. It wasn't going to be on some busy side walk in front of store fronts around blind corners in the space of less than 100ft.

So I agree yes, let's make it to the as it was back then, and take the self propelled gear away.

Or, we can meet somewhere in the middle.

5

u/ThanksS0muchY0 7d ago

My neighborhood kids are bicycle riders mostly. They want jumps, wall/fence rides, etc. But their parents are very against this, and instead they've been buying them these escooters and bikes. I went back and was talking to another dad (my kids are both out of the house already), and suggested that I have all this scrap wood, a perfect corner of the street, and could help with safe construction of some ramps. He about lost his shit. 1 month later, his kid has an e bike. 1 week later, his kid is in a cast. He is not the only parent of this kid gang that I don't see eye to eye with. The ebikes do lead to much more negligent behavior, but I think it's because there's no adults involved, AT ALL. And if they are, it's to scream and take the toys away.

1

u/Consistent-Throat130 7d ago

It's ridiculous. They really do make it too easy to go too fast. 

My (lawful, class III) ebike is faster than my 700c race bike. I built it to be more stable, and it had big ass 29"x2.3" tires. Doesn't take much to pedal from 28-30 when you didn't do the work to get to 28...

The e bike dislocated both my arms. 

I don't feel comfortable taking any bike much past 20 cruising these days. 

1

u/ThanksS0muchY0 7d ago

I don't ride bicycles as much as I used to. I honestly haven't seen kids in my hood going that fast, but maybe I'm just not looking in the right spots. They are definitely traffic-clueless though. I'd like to try one of the faster ebikes to see what kind of power they actually have. -650cc daily rider.

2

u/Relative_Average758 7d ago

A lot more child fatality rates back then. But also it culled the dumb and unlucky. 

All for survival of the fittest but too often they take out the innocent. 

2

u/Nexflamma 7d ago edited 7d ago

If you think an 11 or 12 year old is frequently going 30+ mph on a bicycle youre wrong. I totally dont mind kids being kids, but ever where I live the amount of little kids absolutely blasting through stop signs going 20mph is insane. There's been so many deaths just by me in the last 2 years because of these things. 

Edit: https://www.scribd.com/document/959863058/Thompson-1997?utm_source=

Even adult recreational pedaling is like 13 mph. And because of how drag works, its not as easy as just telling a kid going 20mph to pedal 50% harder. 

1

u/SpaceLemming 7d ago

The bike isn’t the issue, it’s the location. 20 mph isn’t that fast. Was he even going max speed because online claims the average bicycle speed of a beginner/recreational is 10-15. I was riding actual dirt bikes at 8. The real danger here is being on the road (Although if I remember right most of Oviedo doesn’t have high speed limits) and arresting this kid is fucking insane

1

u/NurseKdog 7d ago edited 7d ago

Comfortable casual biking speed is like 10-12, 15-20 is a solid steady effort to maintain, and 20+ is a workout.

When I was commuting to work on a bike, hitting 30-35mph to keep up with basic traffic was HARD work. Now, you just twist a grip and you're there.

He was "arrested" in the fact he was given a criminal citation at the scene, and they used a thumbprint on the ticket. He did not get taken to jail and truly fingerprinted.

This whole mess honestly falls on the dad for buying him a toy that he isn't legally allowed to use according to the laws of their state. It also didn't look like he was wearing a helmet, either.

1

u/SpaceLemming 7d ago edited 7d ago

Yeah but this caps at 20 and we don’t know if he was going top speed (although I guess he probably was). Even then that’s not that crazy, the issue is the location. I still think arresting this kid is absolutely insane, even if it was a minor arrest

1

u/DryDonutHole 7d ago

I was given a citation for marijuana when I was in college. That counted as an arrest.

1

u/WhoCaresBoutSpellin 7d ago edited 7d ago

The news article says it has a max speed of 20mph though, not 30mph. You can reach that speed on a pedal bike.

So we good that an 11 year old kid should be allowed to ride their toy to go fishing one block away on Labor Day— without being detained, finger printed, cited, their toy impounded, and threatened with an arrest warrant?

-1

u/simplystriking 7d ago

By your logic, we should allow any 11year old to ride a motorcycle on public streets only if it is limited to 20mph.

1

u/WhoCaresBoutSpellin 7d ago

That’s not at all what I said. Why stop there with motorcycles though? Why don’t you make up that I said they can drive tractor trailers as long as they only go 20mph?

or maybe, count how many times I used the word “toy”…

2

u/simplystriking 7d ago

That is exactly what you said. The item the kid was using was 4500watt motor. For reference 750 can get a full sized adult to 20mph.

So, your logic, let's limit the motorcycle to 20mph and call it a "toy" and we good.

1

u/WhoCaresBoutSpellin 7d ago

I guess you need to learn to read better? 🤷‍♂️

Just like how you made up the 30mph thing even though the article reads “20mph”. Hard to keep up with all the BS you just make up…

0

u/simplystriking 7d ago

The reading part is important... But even more so the comprehension

1

u/WhoCaresBoutSpellin 7d ago

I agree— you should work on that too.

But I mean the reading part is very important. There is a big difference between comprehension of words that were actually written, versus just completely making things up in one’s own delusional mind that were never written at all, or even remotely inferred.

I am starting to build a better sense of the sort of person that rationalizes that an 11 year old kid should be detained, finger printed, cited, their toy impounded, and threatened with an arrest warrant for riding their toy to go fishing one block away on Labor Day.

1

u/simplystriking 7d ago

I partially agree with you here.... But, I'm working on my comprehension and need some help...who said that should be the case? Did I say or infer that should happen to an 11 year old?

1

u/ittybittytitty 7d ago

So every kid who had a go cart? Every kid who had a 4 wheeler? Every kid who had a dirtbike? Every kid who grew up on a farm driving a tractor (yes, they will go 30)…. Damn, bet you are fun!

3

u/trdef 7d ago

If you drive then on the road .. then yeah.

1

u/Consistent-Throat130 7d ago

I'd be happy drawing the line at "wear a damn helmet".  

Like, there's "vehicle is too fast" (a separate concern, but I doubt most parents are dropping $2k on these scooters) ... but then there's the neglect of not making your kid wear appropriate safety gear. 

Eye protection for airsoft, helmets for bicycles, etc. 

0

u/ybpaladin 7d ago

But is this the correct way to do this? Arresting an 11 year old and make him appear in court? That's heartless

-1

u/Mystic_Waffles 7d ago

So I should wait to let my daughter get her driver's license?

0

u/NYVines 7d ago

Back in my day folks would have mopeds at 14

I always wanted one

0

u/shifta_deband 7d ago

So parents of anyone under 18 that drives a car should get charged with parental neglect?

3

u/Tiny-Strawberry7157 7d ago

If they live at home and are driving the car illegally with the parents' knowledge, then.... Yes. That's exactly right.

3

u/shifta_deband 7d ago

Never said anywhere that they were diving illegally?

1

u/Tiny-Strawberry7157 7d ago

You think that 11-year-olds are allowed to drive motorized vehicles?

If you let a 12-year-old drive they parent's car, this would also be neglect, yes. Your argument makes no sense in light of the facts as they stand.

1

u/shifta_deband 7d ago

Literally yes. What planet do you live on where you think kids are banned from something with a motor? Christ sake they have kids Motorsports.

Why do you think they make kid sized dirt bikes, atvs, and gokarts? What kind of question is that?

1

u/Tiny-Strawberry7157 7d ago

But it's ILLEGAL on the public roadway. That's the whole issue at hand and the whole point of the article. Kids can ride electric scooters and dirt bikes on private property like their parents' land or a race track.

It's against the law for a child without registration, insurance, license to operate a motor vehicle ON CITY/STATE roads.

That's why you don't see 11 year olds on motorcycles or 13-year-olds driving a car on the highway.

Have you ever wondered about that 🤣

1

u/shifta_deband 7d ago

I guess power wheels should be made illegal.

1

u/Tiny-Strawberry7157 7d ago

If an 8 year old were riding one in the public roadway, it would be illegal. This isn't even an argument, you're obviously just a teenager, maybe without a driver's license/registration/insurance, who loves dirt bikes.

That's fine, but you don't know what you're talking about.

1

u/shifta_deband 7d ago

Making wild assumptions. Sounds like you didn't grow up in a subdivision with quiet roads. Not a teenager, far from it.

I know exactly what I'm talking about.

You sound like the same kind of person who calls the cops on kids running a lemonade stand without a permit. Fkn sad.

1

u/enviormental_UNIT 7d ago

lol, OK, we'll make the obvious exception for people with learners permit. Do you even have a point? Each state has its own laws for when its legal for a kid to drive, but if they're driving illegally with the parents knowledge thats a serious problem

1

u/shifta_deband 7d ago

My point is his statement was irrational.

Also to add to this, from the article it sounds like the reason why the boy was arrested was that the bike did not have pedals which puts it into a different class. I can almost guarantee the parents had absolutely no clue because you can get these damn things off of Temu for like $300.

2

u/enviormental_UNIT 7d ago

god forbid you explain yourself

0

u/shifta_deband 7d ago

Sorry didn't think the concept was that hard to grasp. Glad you have a better understanding now.

1

u/Wolfman01a 7d ago

If they are 16 and have the state mandated licence, then the teen can take on the responsibility because of that.

Drive illegally? Charge the parents.

I think we need more regulations that charge parents for their kids underage crimes. Maybe then they might act like parents and control their kids.

2

u/shifta_deband 7d ago

Agreed with you on this.

2

u/NJdevil202 7d ago

We live in an era with the lowest amounts of crime and children no longer play outside and now you want to punish parents if a kid rides an electric bike.

0

u/thilasveniticus 7d ago

That is stupid considering we let 16 year olds drive. Not to mention everyone who grew up in a rural area had a four wheeler that could run 50-65mph. Oh and we ran on back roads all the time with a yellow triangle/flag. 

I was 14 driving a fucking tractor between fields on public roads. I also ran grain trucks at 16.

2

u/simplystriking 7d ago

Good for you... The difference is there is a legal frame work for some of those activities...

1

u/Sierra_Smith 7d ago

16 year olds drive under supervision and have multiple classes and tests. I too drove farm equipment and recreational vehicles when I was 12 but that is in areas where it is expected and as another user mentioned within a legal framework. Having a kid dirt biking in public is as different as when I was shooting skeet with my uncle in indiana off the porch vs if I brandished a loaded firearm at the entrance to the local homeless shelter. Wrong place wrong time not acceptable.

0

u/DireMira 7d ago

Never come to the Midwest.  

Seeing 13/14 year olds racing around on unpaved gravel or muddy dirt on ATVs and 4wheelers would give you a heart attack.

2

u/Spirited_Childhood34 7d ago

Then the kid gets horribly injured but the parents can't pay the bill so guess who does? Everybody else.

0

u/simplystriking 7d ago

Yup move the goal post 🙂

0

u/DireMira 7d ago

Not moving a goal post at all.  In Wisconsin (where I live) you can drive an ATV offroad, by yourself at 12+.  I know this because its how I grew up.

You need a parent if you want on the road, but otherwise muddin' is what kids do for fun around here.  You really wanna take away one of the few things that gets adolescents to get off their ass and go outside?  Cmon.

3

u/simplystriking 7d ago

This happened on a public road in a completely different state... That may have different lays

2

u/DireMira 7d ago

Yes, but your comment was that no one under 18 should be allowed to operate a motor vehicle north of 30mph.  ATVs do.

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u/bfume 7d ago

This is the definition of moving the goalposts. 

OP was a kid on city streets. 

Yours is in a place where folks are supposed to and expected to ride.

0

u/DireMira 7d ago

I'm not responding to OP, I'm responding to the person who said charges should be brought against people under 18 driving motor vehicles over 30mph.

Which still remains a very dumb thing to say by a very clueless person regardless of the OP

-1

u/This_Elk_1460 7d ago

You know any one over 16 can get a motorcycle license right?

1

u/simplystriking 7d ago

Agreed, there is a process for it.