After an electric scooter crash in St. Pete, St. Pete Police are stressing the importance of scooter safety.
The crash happened in September when two people were riding a VEO scooter on the sidewalk and hit an 81-year-old woman, who died in the hospital a few days later. The investigation is ongoing, but now police want everyone to know the rules for operating an electric scooter.
“You have to follow all the traffic laws. You have to go with the flow of traffic, stop at stop signs, yield signs, and traffic lights," Sgt. Bryan Andrews with St. Pete P.D. said.
He goes on to say people need to be sober when operating an electric scooter. They can not be driven on the sidewalk. The VEO scooters can be used in bike lanes and on a roadway that has a speed limit of 30 mph or less.
He said only one person is allowed on a scooter at a time.
“It can be very dangerous if you have two people operating a scooter. It’s always best practice to have one person on, both hands on the handlebars, giving all due caution at all times,” Andrews said.
If you do not follow the rules, it can come with a hefty fine.
“There is a recourse for having more than one person on the scooter, and that would be a municipal ordinance violation. It can be a fine of up to $500,” Andrews said.
In addition to a fine, officers can contact VEO and have a person's account suspended if they drive recklessly or do not follow the rules.
Andrews said they have a team deployed downtown St. Pete to enforce these rules.
