Scooter wrecks continue talks of restrictions - KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar Bluff

Schools are in session and scooter sales are through the roof.

"We were down this road already even before these recent accidents," said Mark Lanzotti, Cape Girardeau Ward 5 Councilman.

He received a phone call asking him if the city could legally require scooter riders to wear helmets. He found out the simply answer is yes. Something the Paul Nelson, the Southeast Missouri State soccer coach supports.

"I know they're fun things and young adults just think they are invincible, but certainly the over the past few days we've seen the gravity of a situation that could happen if your not wearing a helmet," Nelson said. "I think in the best interests of everybody, some sort of ordinance saying you need to wear a helmet is an important thing."

Justin Eggers gets around campus with his scooter. He says the advantages outweigh the problems.

"I know a lot of Cape people are not really fond of them," Eggers said. "But you got to look at it from my standpoint too. It's a big convenience to me. It saves gas, parking permits. There's a lot of pluses to them too. It's not all negatives."

Drivers like Cindy Agbonifo say they see the economic advantage of scooters. But, they also see the dangers of them.

"For the most the part, driving behind them on a busy road can be very frustrating because they can only go so fast," Agbonifo said. "You have all these crazy drivers trying to speed and go around them and they could get hurt."

It could all change soon with a new potential ordinance.

"Most of us recognized there was something there," Lanzotti said. "We just didn't perceive the best way to approach it given the fact that the scooter operates within a loop hole in the law."

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