Genoa teens now required to wear helmets when riding scooters

GENOA – Teenagers younger than 18 are required to wear a helmet when riding a scooter or motorcycle in Genoa, according to new rules approved by city officials this week.

People on scooters or motor-driven cycles – usually a type of motorcycle with a smaller engine that isn’t required to have an Illinois license plate – also are prohibited from riding them on downtown sidewalks between Sycamore Street on the east and State Street on the west, according to updated city code.

Users must not ride them on any streets except designated crosswalks and, if older than 18, also must wear protective eye gear, according to the Genoa Police Department.

It’s part of a series of municipal code updates approved by the Genoa City Council on Wednesday, records show.

Anyone failing to comply with the updated rules could be subject to fines or court appearances, authorities said.

“Please note that these regulations were put in place to ensure the safety of those in our community,” authorities wrote in a social media update.

Passengers are only allowed on a motorcycle or scooter if the vehicle was made to accommodate them, police said. Passengers also must wear helmets or protective eye gear according to their age.

Motor-driven cycles or scooters are defined as “every motorcycle and every motor-driven scooter with less than 150 cubic centimeter piston displacement, including motorized pedal cycles or any electric or gas motor-driven wheeled scooter, motor-driven cycle or other similar motor-driven vehicle” that isn’t issued a state title or license plates, according to the Genoa Police Department.