SANDY — Police said an underage driver on an e-motorcycle fled from officers, highlighting an increasing number of problems they are encountering with kids and e-motorcycles on city streets.
The police pursuit
According to Lt. Jason Nielsen, an officer spotted the juvenile rider traveling illegally in the roadway Wednesday near the intersection of Beetdigger Boulevard and Sego Lily Drive.
“(The officer) tried to stop it and it fled from us, at which point we were able to keep eyes on the vehicle and the juvenile,” Nielsen told KSL during an interview Thursday.
Apprehension and video footage
Nielsen said officers tracked and contained the driver near the western edge of Dimple Dell Regional Park, where body camera footage obtained exclusively by KSL captured the eventual apprehension.
“Hey, kid, come over here!” an officer said in the video. “We have cops at every exit. You’re not going to escape from us.”
The video showed the rider power the e-motorcycle over to the officer and stop.
“So, what’s going on with you fleeing from us, dude?” the officer said. “You know this is a felony, right? This is a felony what you’re doing, dude.”
Rising-frequency of e-motorcycle incidents
Nielsen said almost daily the department is seeing problems with underage riders and e-motorcycles, including another case recently where a woman attempted to confront a couple teens about improper use at Granite Park.
“She attempted to stop one of the juveniles on the e-motorcycle which then collided with her, causing some serious injuries to her,” Nielsen said.
New laws for electric vehicles
On May 6, a new law went into effect enacting multiple changes related to e-bikes and e-motorcycles.
The changes classified an electric motorcycle as a vehicle that can travel faster than 20 mph on electric power and has more than 750 watts of power. The law also required that drivers must be at least 16 years-old, must possess a valid driver’s license with a motorcycle endorsement and must wear a Department of Transportation-approved helmet if under the age of 21.
Registration and insurance requirements
Under the rules, e-motorcycles must also be registered and insured and drivers must obey all traffic laws.
Prohibited areas and signage
Police said e-bikes are prohibited on city sidewalks and e-motorcycles are barred from pathways in parks and pedestrian-only areas.
Officials told KSL they planned to install signs next week in park areas like Dimple Dell about e-motorcycles being prohibited in those spaces.
“I don’t believe a lot of the parents are aware these are actually considered a motor vehicle,” Nielsen said. “If we do stop one of these juveniles or anybody on this vehicle and they don’t have a motorcycle endorsement, they don’t have a license plate, registration, insurance — any of that — it can be state taxed and impounded.”
Nielsen said officers are doing their best to educate families as they contact them, and ultimately, they are concerned about safety.
“The bottom line is we don’t want anyone hurt or killed on any of these e-motorcycles,” Nielsen said. “It’s extremely dangerous. The reason why the laws are put into place is because of all the injuries that have been sustained from these motor vehicles.”
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