Mini Bike, Major Risk

A new recreational craze sweeping the nation, mini bikes - also known as mini motos or pocket cycles - offer a unique motorized riding experience. These scaled-down versions of full-sized motorcycles can reach speeds close to 50 miles per hour, generally through the use of surprisingly powerful two or four-stroke engines.

Mini bikes come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. However, while many people are tempted to see them as toys, the number of serious injuries and deaths involving accidents on these vehicles is constantly on the rise.

A mini bike’s novel appearance belies many unique dangers that enthusiastic riders fail to consider. Their smaller size, for instance, means that they are much less visible to other motorists, significantly increasing the potential for a disastrous collision.

In addition, these bikes quite frequently do not come equipped with the regulation equipment of their larger, street-legal inspiration, such as headlights, tail lights, blinkers, and license plates. For this reason, a person caught riding a mini bike on city streets is subject to a range of citations and punishments, including but not limited to:

• Fines of up to $2,200
• Suspension of license (if the driver has a valid license, required to operate a mini bike in most states)
• Delay in eligibility for a license if the driver was not of legal age to operate a motor vehicle (typically around 16 years old)

Contact Us

For more information on what to do if you or someone you love has been hurt in a mini bike related accident or if you feel a manufacturer or other party’s negligence was in some way at fault, contact the experienced team of Chicago personal injury lawyers at the law offices of Friedman & Bonebrake, P.C., today by calling 312-466-8200.