All motor scooters and mopeds must be titled and insured and all riders must wear helmets and eye protection by Oct. 1, according to a new Maryland State Police law.
Helmets are required to meet safety standards set by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Insurance coverage must meet at least the minimum vehicle liability requirement and operators must carry proof of the insurance with them whenever they are driving the scooter or moped. Motor scooters and mopeds will be required to be titled by the Motor Vehicle Administration.
In case you need a refresher, here are the general MSP rules for riding scooters and mopeds:
Drivers must ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practical and safe as possible, except when:
- Making a left turn
- Operating on a one-way street
- Passing a stopped or slower moving vehicle
- Avoiding pedestrians and road hazards
- The right lane is a right turn only lane
- Operating in a lane too narrow for a bicycle or motor scooter and another vehicle to travel safely side by side.
Other rules include:
- Drivers may ride side by side only if flow of traffic is unimpeded
- Drivers must exercise due care when passing
- Headsets covering both ears, or earplugs in both ears, are not permitted
- Scooters or mopeds may not be operated on roadways with speed limits greater than 50 mph
- Scooters or mopeds may not be operated at more than 30 mph
- Drivers may not operate on a roadway where there is a smooth paved bike lane or paved shoulder available, meaning they must use the bike lane or paved shoulder instead of the roadway
- Drivers must obey the rules of the road applicable to all vehicles.
David Dougherty
12:27 am on Thursday, August 23, 2012
I have a question I have 2 scooters one is a 250 cc scooter that will do 70 mph and a 650 CC scooter that will do over 100, so that being said you are telling me that when i Maryland i cant travel over 30 mph and must use bike lane when available?
David Dougherty
12:33 am on Thursday, August 23, 2012
I guess Maryland does not know what makes a scooter a scooter. A scooter is any motor driven cycle that has a step through design. It is not a scooter due to engine size, transmission, or vehicle weight or limited speed. .
Alex
9:26 am on Thursday, August 23, 2012
In the name of ________(fill in the propaganda). I think the state just wants more money from title and registration. Last time I check(last week) it cost $100 to title a vehicle in Maryland. Even my small $220 trailer, it cost $100 to get a title then another 6% "title tax" on top of the 6% sales tax i already paid at the store (double taxation), then another $126 to get the tag..... do the math, by the time i get out of the MVA, I spend more there than actually cost of getting the trailer.
I carry insurance for my 50cc as I do with my 150cc, and wear a Snell helmet(not DOT) because I choose to since there are many uninsured and crazy drivers out there. but once again, i choose to for my own protection, not because the government said so.... well I guess I should downgrade my insurance coverage and quality of my helmet to meet the lower government standard, since it must be safer.
The state does not like scooters, because, they were not really generating any revenue. no title fee, no title tax, no tag, tiny amount of gas tax. I am sure they want to change all that in the name of safety.
james john
5:30 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
much hard laws, and it should be cause it is for our safty.
<a href="http://www.scootercity.co.uk/">scooters</a>;
james john
5:31 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
much hard laws, and it should be cause it is for our safty.
www.scootercity.co.uk
Tim Lenhardt
5:59 am on Friday, September 7, 2012
I have been riding my scooter for nine years with no mishaps. So they are saying because of non experianced riders and their mishaps and mistake that I have to pay. It is all a revenue thing make no mistake. They want us to be green and cut our energy use but now it costs more to do so. If maryland wanted money so bad why not charge .25 cents more a gallon for gasoline on suv's from April to October. Not happing for this would be stepping on the toes of the Maryland elite. I wonder what is next for Maryland and the safty of it's people. Riding lawn mowers or motorized wheel chair being regulated in some way
Michael Thomas
7:33 am on Friday, September 28, 2012
I think it is crazy to have mopeds and scooters insured and titled by the MVA, this state is so money hungry. They say they made too much money from the light cameras but then they will be crying about they have no more funds for anything else. I think there should be a protest!!!!???
Michael Thomas
7:34 am on Friday, September 28, 2012
Does it have to be tagged?