Hampshire police crack down on unroadworthy mopeds

Date: 22/9/2010

Driving an overpowered or unroadworthy moped could have serious consequences, a Hampshire policeman has warned.

Officers in Eastleigh have launched a crackdown on defective scooters and banned half of the vehicles tested so far because their condition was deemed too dangerous, according to the Southern Daily Echo.

A team of officials led by PC Dan Golding from the Roads Policing Unit at Totton Police Station pulled over 20 young riders.

Of these, seven bikes were seized for being overpowered and ten machines were immediately prohibited from the roads as they were judged to have serious defects.

Faults included brake pads worn to excess, brakes not operating and bearings in the steering head being likely to affect the stability of the vehicle.

PC Mick Gear of Bikesafe said the repercussions of these failings for road safety are evident.

"There's no telling how serious the consequences could be of using a machine that is illegally too powerful or dangerously defective," he added.

Earlier this month, Pendle Today reported police in Lancashire have urged motorcyclists to take care on the roads in a bid to reduce the number of accidents involving bikes.

Posted by Sarah Bailey