Michael Buscemi thinks nothing is cooler than his new Go-Ped. But even coolness has its price.
“So many people have gotten them, so it’s getting annoying,” said the Libertyville teen of the spreading popularity of the motorized scooters. “They’re becoming like bikes, so cops are starting to care.”
Michael, 13, can name Go-Ped owners who have been questioned by police, who themselves have concerns about the trendy transporters.
Like the Libertyville Police Department, other suburban law enforcement agencies have vowed to keep young Go-Ped riders off the streets and bike paths this summer as the scooters, originally popular in places such as California and Florida, storm the Midwest.
“They look like a lot of fun,” Libertyville Police Chief Patrick Carey said of the vehicles that can go as fast as 20 m.p.h. “But if some youngster gets hit with a car, we’ll have residents asking why we didn’t do something earlier when we knew they were being used that way.”
Laws vary on the regulation of Go-Peds–the trade name used by the California firm that popularized the scooters–which resemble large skateboards with two tires and handlebars. But many suburbs, including Libertyville, Northfield, Palatine, Schaumburg, Skokie and Worth, only allow the scooters to be driven on private property with the property owner’s consent.
Motorized scooters are not mentioned in the Illinois Vehicle Code, so they do not have to be registered, said David Druker, a spokesman with the secretary of state’s office. Based on the office’s interpretation, Go-Peds can be driven on bike paths and sidewalks but not on streets. But Druker said that interpretation could be superseded by specific municipal ordinances.
Authorities believe strict regulations are needed because most of the Go-Ped drivers are boys under age 16.
Worth Police Chief Frank Gilbert recently witnessed three young Go-Ped riders nearly get hit by a car as they weaved in and out of traffic at Southwest Highway and Harlem Avenue.
“I know some kid’s gonna get clipped,” said Gilbert, who began receiving complaints about the scooters this year. “The issue here is strictly safety. If they’re on the street, they’ll get hit, because they are hard to see, and if they’re on the sidewalk, they’ll hit a younger kid standing there. These things go pretty fast.”
Theoretically, for a motor-driven vehicle to be allowed on the streets, the drivers must be 16 and the Go-Ped must have all equipment required for a car, such as taillights and headlights, Carey said.
Last week, Schaumburg police began a three-tiered educational crackdown on Go-Ped riders. First-time offenders will be escorted home and their parents will be informed about Go-Ped rules. A $25 citation will be given for the second offense, and a ticket for driving without a license will be given on the third, which could jeopardize the chances of those children getting licenses when they turn 16, said Schaumburg Police Sgt. Paul Rizzo.
But though police stress safety, others believe some accommodation must be made to the reality of the Go-Ped craze.
Ann Skiera of Libertyville plans to ask village officials to allow children to drive the scooters on subdivision sidewalks after they complete a safety course and register with the village. Skiera, 40, trusts her son, Kyle, 12, to stay off streets or sidewalks in congested areas.
Regardless of the Go-Ped’s legal fate, one thing is clear: Go-Peds are selling fast.
Steve Matic, a sales assistant and Go-Ped mechanic at the Shred Shop, 3855 W. Oakton St. in Skokie, said the store began selling the scooters last year, and now sells about 25 to 30 a week. Often, customers pay for the Go-Peds months in advance and are placed on a waiting list, said 20-year-old Matic, himself the proud owner of a Bigfoot model he uses for off-roading.
Perhaps one of the most obvious reasons the gadget appeals to the pre-teens and teens is its ability to move them like another vehicle they hope to drive one day.
“It’s kind of like being in a car,” Michael Buscemi said.
Steven Salgado, 14, of Libertyville said, “They’re fast, and they can get you anywhere. People in cars come up to us and say, `Hey, that thing’s pretty cool. Did you make it?'”
The sporty Go-Peds use motors from hedge clippers and other outdoor equipment and retail for between $450 and $900, depending on the model. And in these days of skyrocketing gas prices, the Go-Peds are a bargain, getting up to 100 miles on a gallon of gas.
Steve Patmont, who invented the Go-Ped in his California garage in 1985, believes his creation attracts people because it fulfills “a deep human need to be moved magically like a magic carpet.”
Patmont left his job as an engineer in Silicon Valley several years ago to run the Pleasanton, Calif.-based Patmont Motor Werks that currently makes “hundreds” of Go-Peds and sells them around the world every day.
