If you ride a moped or scooter in Georgia, you must follow laws governing their operation. Obeying Georgia moped and scooter laws will help you avoid citations and potentially devastating road accidents.
Mopeds and scooters – both gasoline and electric-powered – have become popular forms of transportation, especially for people living in cities in Georgia. The state defines a moped as a motor-driven cycle with an engine capacity of 50 cubic centimeters (cc) or less. Different rules and laws may apply to scooters with engines that exceed 50 cc.
What’s the Difference Between a Moped and a Scooter?
Whether a vehicle qualifies as a moped or scooter in Georgia depends on its engine capacity. Mopeds have smaller engines of 50 cc or less, while scooters have engine capacities over 50 cc but less than 500 cc. Mopeds have fewer and less strict requirements and regulations than scooters because they have less powerful engines and travel slower, restricting them to local roads with lower speed limits.
However, scooter riders must follow many of the same regulations as motorcycle riders because scooters can travel on many of the same roads as motorcycles. Georgia also treats electric scooters differently from gas-powered scooters or mopeds, as e-scooter riders have even fewer requirements and regulations.
Does Georgia Require Registration or Insurance for a Moped or a Scooter?
Georgia does not require registration or insurance to operate a moped or electric scooter on public roads.
On the other hand, scooter owners must register their scooters with the Georgia Department of Transportation and carry insurance that meets the same minimum requirements that apply to motorcycles. Insurance must include:
- Bodily injury liability coverage of $25,000 per person
- Bodily injury liability coverage of $50,000 per accident
- Property damage liability coverage of $25,000 per accident
Are Helmets Required for a Moped or Scooter in Georgia?
Georgia requires moped riders to wear a helmet approved by the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Because Georgia treats scooters like motorcycles and requires motorcycle riders to wear DOT-approved helmets, scooter riders also must wear helmets. However, for electric scooters, only riders under 16 must wear a bicycle helmet.
Are There Any Other Requirements for Using a Moped or Scooter?
To ride a moped in Georgia, you must meet specific requirements and follow various laws and regulations, including:
- A moped rider must be at least 15 and hold a valid driver’s license, instructional permit, or limited permit.
- Riders must wear a DOT-approved motorcycle helmet.
- Riders operating on a road must obey the same traffic laws applicable to motor vehicles.
- Riders may not use limited access highways or any road with a minimum speed limit above 35 mph.
Requirements for riding an electric scooter in Georgia include:
- Riders under 16 must wear a bike helmet.
- Riders may only ride on bike paths, bike lanes, or roads with a speed limit of 35 mph or less.
- Riders on the road must follow the same traffic laws as motor vehicles.
Scooters have stricter requirements. Scooter riders must follow many of the same rules as motorcyclists, including needing a motorcycle license. Applicants must be at least 17 years old and can get their license with one of two methods:
- Complete a Georgia Motorcycle Safety Program Course, or
- Apply at a DDS Customer Service Center and pass the motorcycle knowledge, on-cycle skills, and vision tests.
Does Georgia Have Different Laws for Electric Scooters and Mopeds?
Although mopeds and electric scooters both provide a lower-speed form of transportation than a scooter, Georgia law treats e-scooters differently from mopeds. Georgia law considers a moped a distinct vehicle category with specific requirements and regulations.
Electric scooter riders do not need a driver’s license or similar permit to operate a motor vehicle to ride an e-scooter. Additionally, Georgia’s bicycle helmet laws apply to electric scooters, only requiring helmets for riders up to age 16.
Is It Illegal to Use a Smartphone While Riding a Scooter or Moped?
Although Georgia applies special requirements and regulations to mopeds, scooters, and e-scooters, riders on a public road must follow the same rules that apply to drivers of motor vehicles. These rules include Georgia’s hands-free law.
Under the hands-free law, a driver or rider of a moped or scooter cannot hold a phone or another electronic communications device while operating a vehicle. A driver or rider also cannot use a cell phone to watch or record videos on the road, although they may install a continuously recording dashcam on their vehicle.
The law allows motorists to use their vehicle’s voice-to-text system to listen to and compose text messages, voice messages, or emails. However, because a moped or scooter has no voice-to-text system like a car, a rider must pull over to read, listen to, or compose a message on their cell phone.
Using a cell phone or smartphone while riding a scooter or moped may lead to the police pulling over a rider and citing them. A first offense under the hands-free law carries a fine of $50 and one point on the rider’s driver’s license (if they have one). A second conviction within 24 months of a prior conviction carries a penalty of a $100 fine and two points. A third or subsequent conviction within 24 months carries a penalty of a $150 fine and three points.
Contact a Georgia Personal Injury Lawyer
If you suffered injuries in a moped or scooter accident in Georgia, you deserve experienced and knowledgeable legal advocacy that can help you seek compensation for your financial and personal losses. Contact Sherrod & Bernard, P.C. today for a free, no-obligation case review with a Georgia personal injury lawyer to discuss your legal options. We’ll review your situation and offer our advice on the best path forward.
Our firm has been serving injury victims in Georgia for over 30 years. We have recovered millions in compensation for those victims, including $1.5 million for a fatal motorcycle crash. Our clients call us “down to earth” and know they can depend on us “to take care of everything.” Reach out today to find out what we can do for you.
