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Mini Motos

Miniature motorbikes - commonly known as mini-motos - are legally classed as motor vehicles and are therefore subject to the same legal restrictions. This means that, if a mini-moto is being ridden or even just pushed along in a public place, it needs insurance, tax and registration documents to be legal.

A 'public place' includes roads, footpaths, parks, commons and car parks.

Street Legal
To be street legal, the driver must have a driving license and therefore be over 16 as well as wearing suitable protective headgear. The mini-moto should be fitted with the following:

• Lights
• Brakes
• Brake Lights
• Horn
• Speedometer
• Good Tyres

The rider can receive an £80 penalty notice for riding in an anti social manner.

The Law
Under the Police Reform Act 2002, Police have the power to seize motor vehicles that are being used in a manner likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public - which includes numerous offences from dangerous driving through to noise nuisance. The power is intended for curbing the use of public roads around housing estates as illegal race tracks, or the riding of motorcycles across public parks, villages or greens. Section 59 gives the power to deal with these problems and Section 60 covers duties in respect of retention, keeping and disposal of seized vehicles.
These powers relate to uniformed police officers and may by way of designation be passed to a Police Community Support Officer but not Accredited Community Safety Officers.

Grounds to Exercise Power
Where a police officer has reasonable grounds for believing that a mechanically propelled vehicle is or has been:

• driven without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for others (contrary to Section 3 Road Traffic Act 1988), OR
• driven onto or upon any common land, moorland or land of any other description, not forming part of a road, or on any road being a footpath or bridleway (contrary to Section 34 Road Traffic Act 1988), AND
• there are reasonable grounds to believe the vehicle is being used or has been used in such a way to cause or likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public then the officer shall have the following powers:

Powers
• Order a person to stop the vehicle.
• Seize and remove the vehicle.
• For the purposes of exercising the power in either of the two cases above, enter any premises on which there are reasonable grounds to believe the vehicle to be.

There is a power to use reasonable force, if necessary, in the exercise of these powers.

The power cannot be exercised unless the driver is both using the vehicle anti-socially and is committing either the Section 3 or Section 34 offence.
Section 59(6) makes it a specific offence to fail to stop when required to do so. Penalty on summary conviction is a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.