Scooters Can Be Dangerous ‘Toys’

The death of a 6-year-old San Juan Capistrano boy who apparently crashed while riding a motorized scooter is a tragic reminder that children may be ill-prepared to handle such devices, authorities said Thursday.

“There is a significant danger factor with these things,” said Steve Doan, spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

“In the hands of someone that does not know how to drive one, it can be very dangerous.”

A state law that took effect Jan. 1, 2000, bans children younger than 16 from using motorized vehicles and requires all riders to wear helmets, but many people are unaware of the regulations or ignore them, Doan said.

“We are seeing a lot of kids under the age of 16” on motorized scooters, he said.

“It’s a popular toy in South County. You have a pretty high income level, and you have a lot of people who can afford these. They are not toys, but you have a lot of people who look at them like toys.”

Colton Siomkin died Wednesday from brain damage he sustained Aug. 9, Orange County coroner’s officials said. Investigators said the boy’s family heard him crying and found him beside his scooter.

Nobody witnessed his fall, so it was not clear exactly what happened, authorities said, but Colton was not wearing a helmet when he was found.

The boy’s family declined to comment Thursday.

Riders do not need licenses or insurance to use motorized scooters, which look like skateboards with handlebars, sound like small lawn mowers and can cost as much as $1,000.

State law prohibits riding motorized scooters on sidewalks and limits their speed to 25 mph except in bike lanes.

Go-Ped, the largest North American manufacturer of motorized scooters, sold about 100,000 of the vehicles last year, company owner Steve Patmont said.

Retailers require every buyer to sign a consent form stating that the scooters are not intended for children without adult supervision, he said.

Police say they have better success enforcing the law in public areas like city streets than in private gated communities like San Juan Hills Estates, where Colton lived.

The popularity of scooters, though, makes their job difficult.

Elliot Laurance, 15, of Newport Beach said he has been a Go-Ped enthusiast since he was in fifth grade. His first scooter cost about $700. He now owns three motorized scooters--including an electric one--and one non-motorized model.

He said police are vigilant about enforcing the law in his neighborhood and once wrote him a ticket and required him to attend bicycle safety school.

He said he now competes in weekend Go-Ped races sponsored by local vendors.

He advises under-age riders to be smart, wear helmets and “don’t get caught.”

“The cops are really strict about it,” he said. “They freak out.”

His father, Christopher Laurance, a managing director for an Internet development company, said he bought Elliot his first scooter as a Christmas gift years ago because it looked like a “fun thing that was fairly safe.”

Since then, he has built ramps so his son can practice stunts.

“Like with any tool, I think it’s good for the parent to provide some educational and safety guidelines,” Laurance said Thursday. For a long time, there was no regulation of scooters, he said. “The laws, I think, are fabulous. And do I think [scooters] are safe? Absolutely.”