An Open Letter to Mini Bike Riders in Washington State

An Open Letter to Mini Bike Riders in Washington State

My favorite ride in 5th grade was my mini bike. It was the early 80s, and there was nothing cooler for this 10-year-old.

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Sadly, we had a house fire, and my bike was turned into a puddle of plastic and metal. I never recovered from losing one of my favorite childhood items.

One thing I did learn while I had my mini bike was being respectful. My foster parents wouldn't have accepted anything less.

I've been seeing postings on Facebook from the Kennewick Police Department about mini bikes and their riders causing a nuisance for a lot of people in the Tri-Cities.

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I was more surprised by adults jumping into the conversation saying "let kids be kids" and "leave them alone". I also saw several postings that mini bike riders are being disrespectful and rude, even terrorizing walkers and joggers along the bike paths and sidewalks.

So if you have a kid or teen out on their mini bike, there are still several laws that they have to follow. It was surprising on the Kennewick Police posting that people told KPD they didn't know the law concerning mini bikes.

The postings have caused quite a stir with comments on both sides of the aisle.

KPD explained that under state statute, mini-bikes over 50ccs are considered to be motorcycles, which require them to have all the same equipment, DOT-approved helmets, and special endorsements as a motorcycle when being operated on a public right of way.

Going forward, the Kennewick Police Department added:

Mini-bikes are not designed for public roads, and can be difficult to see and often do not follow traffic laws. This increases the potential for accidents, injuries, and dangerous situations for all road users.

Additionally, KPD has stopped several mini-bike operators with ages ranging from young children to adults. In situations where the operator is a juvenile, the parent/guardian can be cited for Failing to Supervise a Child per KMC 10.08.090, and potentially numerous civil infractions.

So I thought I'd write an open letter to mini bike riders and let them know getting a ticket isn't worth it.

Enjoy your mini bikes, but remember that you don't know who you'll encounter out there on the streets - some people aren't the nicest, so it's best to stick to the areas where you know you can enjoy your riding and not end up getting a citation or ticket from the Kennewick Police.

If I got crazy with my mini bike, I got grounded, and that's no fun.