A. Minimum Age. No motorized foot scooter shall be operated on streets or other public areas not otherwise prohibited to motorized foot scooters by this chapter unless the operator has a valid driver’s license.

(1) Failure of a motorized foot scooter operator to have a valid driver’s license on their person while operating a motorized foot scooter in the city of Yakima is a traffic infraction.

(2) Only one person may occupy a motorized foot scooter at one time. No motorized foot scooter operator may transport passengers or tow other devices or persons behind a motorized foot scooter.

B. Helmet, Light and Reflectors. The following equipment shall be required whenever a motorized foot scooter is operated on streets or other public property within the city.

(1) Helmet Required. Any person operating a motorized foot scooter upon any public area in the city shall wear an approved helmet designed for safety and meeting or exceeding the standards set forth in city of Yakima Municipal Code Section 9.50.410. The operator shall have the helmet’s neck or chin strap fastened securely while the motorized foot scooter is in motion. A parent or guardian is responsible for requiring that a child under the age of eighteen years wears an approved helmet while said child is operating a motorized foot scooter in the city, and that the child’s helmet neck or chin strap is securely fastened.

(2) Light and Reflectors Required. Pursuant to RCW 46.61.780, a motorized foot scooter operated during the hours of darkness as defined in RCW 46.37.020 shall, as a minimum requirement, be equipped with a lamp on the front which shall emit a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred feet to the front and with a red reflector on the rear of a type approved by the Washington state patrol which shall be visible from all distances up to six hundred feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful lower beams of head lamps on a motor vehicle.

(3) Brake Required. Every motorized foot scooter shall be equipped with a brake which, when applied, will enable the operator to make the braked wheel(s) skid on dry, level, clean pavement.

(4) Muffler Required. Every motorized foot scooter powered by an internal combustion engine shall have a properly functioning engine muffler attached and constantly operational during use of the motorized foot scooter to prevent excessive and/or unreasonable noise as defined in city of Yakima Municipal Code Sections 6.04.180(D)(2) and (E).

(5) Motorized foot scooters operated within the city of Yakima shall not be modified or enhanced in design or construction from the specifications provided by the manufacturer. (Ord. 2004-39 § 1 (part), 2004).