MACON, Ga. — A 13WMAZ viewer asked us to verify whether the law required people driving mopeds, scooters, ATVs, and other low-speed vehicles to have insurance.
Lieutenant Scott Davis is rarely at his desk. He works for the Bibb County Sheriff's Office Traffic Control unit.
When he's out on patrol, he receives reports of people riding dirt bikes, four-wheelers, or other smaller vehicles causing trouble on the road.
He says most of the time they don't have insurance.
Davis says a lot of those reports have been made near Anthony Road. We tried looking for some, but we just found bikes and cars.
Georgia law breaks down the vehicles into different categories like all-terrain vehicles, or ATV, which have to have four tires and operated off a highway. They also mention low-speed vehicles or electric bikes..
According to Georgia law, the vehicles are to be treated like a motor vehicle, meaning if you're driving them on the road, you need a license, obey traffic laws, have insurance, and be registered with the DMV.
"Not to put a damper on having fun, but there's a safe way to do it," said Davis.
So we verified that yes, you are required to have insurance if you want to ride around on the road in one of those vehicles.
"Occasionally, you'll see it. We're not, in comparison with other larger cities who are struggling with this issue, we aren't there yet," said Davis.
Davis says if you do expect someone is breaking the law, you can call the Bibb County Sheriff's Office and they'll try to dispatch someone, but if someone drives off-road, it makes them hard to catch.
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