Tackling Anti-social Moped Use in and Around Hedge End

This month Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit carried out a second operation in Hedge End to check for 16-year-olds illegally riding modified mopeds as part of their on-going campaign to tackle anti-social moped use on the roads in the county. 

Sixteen year-olds are allowed to ride mopeds – defined as having an engine capacity under 50cc and able to do a maximum speed of 31mph, but a moped modified to do a faster top speed becomes a  ‘light motor cycle’ for which a rider must be at least 17 and have an A1 category on their licence.

A 16-year-old riding a ‘derestricted’ moped not only has no licence, but also invalid insurance.

Following a recent rise in the number of collisions on the county’s roads involving young riders on small capacity two-wheelers Hampshire Constabulary has made these operations a policing priority, with the aim to educate young riders and raise awareness of the risks they face when riding these derestricted mopeds and the danger posed to other road-users.

The August operation saw police stop-checking mopeds on roads in Hedge End and escorting those requiring further investigation to a check-point in the Homebase/Currys superstore car park where they were tested on a ‘Dynostar’, a rolling road machine that records a moped’s top speed.

Those with a 16-year-old driver and able to exceed 31 mph were immediately seized.

In all, 12 mopeds were taken to the check-site, and of seven tested on the Dynostar three failed and were seized.

PC Golding from the Totton-based Roads Policing Unit commented, “One moped ridden by a 16-year-old had a top speed of 53mph!”

The police point out that in addition to seized mopeds being retrievable only following the payment of a £150 recovery fee plus £15 for every day the moped is in storage, the riders will also have to pay for the mopeds to be returned to standard performance specifications.

The 16-year-old driver could also potentially face a £60 fine and have three penalty points on their licence.

 

The previous Hedge End check took place in June, and saw ten mopeds taken to the check-point where eight were tested and four found to be overpowered and seized.

Police also used the operation to check for defects which would make a moped unroadworthy.

PC Golding said the police were aware the issue was “Of concern to the residents of Hedge End. We will continue with operations of this type to tackle all aspects of anti-social vehicle use in Hedge End.”

See also Hedgeendpeople story, Hedge End News in The News This Week (to 27 June), mentioning the article in the Daily Echo reporting on a similar operation targeting derestricted and unroadworthy mopeds which took place outside St Mary's stadium in Southampton.