The University of Florida Police Department will pull over lawbreaking motorcycle and scooter riders on campus today to talk to them about motorcycle and scooter rules.
From 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., officers will patrol campus to educate motorcycle and scooter riders about helmet and eye protection laws.
The Florida state law requires motorcycle riders under 21 to wear a helmet with a shield, according to the UPD release. Riders over 21 are only required to wear some type of eye wear, like glasses.
If the rider is not wearing a helmet and his or her license plate says they are under 21 years old, the license plate alone does not give the officers reason to pull them over, said GPD Lt. Stacy Ettel.
Ettel said the officers have to wait until there is another reason for the rider to be pulled over, like speeding on campus.
Although a scooter is defined as having an engine smaller than 50cc, Florida law treats it like a motorcycle when it's going over 30 mph on flat land, Ettel said.
He said there are a lot more rules the rider has to abide by because motorcycles have a different set of rules from scooters.
