Parents Blamed In Elmhurst E-Scooter Crashes

ELMHURST, IL – State law bans those under 18 from riding electric scooters, and Elmhurst is trying to get the word out.

Over the last couple of weeks, two youths have crashed into cars while riding e-scooters, but they suffered no serious injuries, police said.

In one case, a 14-year-old rode an e-scooter through a neighborhood intersection, failed to yield and hit a car, police said.

In another instance, a child on an e-scooter was riding on a sidewalk in a busy business area and was knocked over by a car slowly pulling out of a driveway, police said.

The two youths were breaking the law for e-scooters and were at fault, police said.

"It’s easy to blame kids on e-scooters when they don’t follow basic traffic safety laws, but truly their parents should have prevented them from riding these motorized vehicles in the first place," the police said in a news release.

E-scooter riding is not the same as walking or riding a bicycle, making it dangerous for children who have not been taught the rules of the road, police said.

"Parents need to be responsible and take e-scooters away from children to keep them safe," police said.

Following a period of education, the police department is issuing citations to e-scooter violators.

At a City Council meeting earlier this month, Mayor Scott Levin spoke about the rules for electric bicycles and scooters.