Electric Scooter


Constance asked: I recently bought a electric scooter because I got my license taken away after eye surgery I have 20/20 in my other eye but they still won’t give me a drivers license I live alone and I need a way to go back n forth to drs and shopping I cannot afford a taxi everyplace and I live within 10 miles where I do all my trips I was told its an electric scooter like the wheel chain or 3 wheel scooters coming out and they don’t require a drivers license but before I take my first ride I want to be sure so I don’t get tickets where is it legal to drive ? It has a range of only 35 miles n doesn’t go any faster than 25 miles per hour its all electric no gas no pedals can you inform me of all rules n things on this I am disabled n I need a way to get out go to drs n shopping.


Please see this post.

Motorized scooters are not permitted on the roads or sidewalks. A motor scooter like a Vespa is either a moped or a motorcycle and requires registration and a driver’s license.


6 Comments on “Electric Scooter

  1. A little known portion of the statute allows for mobility assist devices, which are typically electrically powered, to be operated on the sidewalks and roadways. Part of the definition of this type of allowed device is two non-tandem wheels (side-by-side) and self-balancing. I’m not sure how the Segway people managed to lobby this law into effect, but if you can afford a Segway-type of transport, you can operate it without a license and even though it’s electric and has no pedals, you can travel on sidewalks.

    I’ve been looking at a product called the Airwheel S8 which is a sit-down type of segway machine. Because it is self-balancing, it’s not particularly difficult to operate and appears to have about a 30 mile range. I’ve not been able to confirm that figure, as the number appeared only once in a somewhat ambiguous Google search result.

    There’s a reasonably comprehensive review here:

    Additionally, there’s a document related to the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) which leads one to believe that this particular device qualifies for indoor use as a permitted mobility assist device.


    I’m still pursuing that aspect with local businesses as the mangers with whom I’ve spoken disagree and I’ve not yet heard back from the corporate offices.

  2. Scooters advertised all over by- EWheels- state, NO Licience for driver or scooter needed and ‘unlawful in the road’— sidewalk and bike lanes OK – seems ok for handicap like above and self – also local(Florida) AARP is looking into it

  3. ralph, the true answers are in the statutes. The sellers will tell you anything to make a sale. Geo provides the straight scoop!

  4. You don’t need 20/20 in both eyes to have a drivers license. This is from the Florida’s Drivers handbook chapter 2, “If one eye is blind or 20 / 200 or worse, the other eye must be 20 / 40 or better”. I would go back and talk to them.

  5. Ralph,

    If people would ask about such things on this site, we could head off a lot of similar problems. If we have something specific to go on, we try to inform the appropriate parties.

    A while back, we received information that some dealers were selling blue lights for bicycles. FBA informed the manufacturer that they were not legal in Florida and referred them to this post.


    They responded that they would stop selling them here.

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