Jill's Journal: To scoot, or not to scoot ...

There’s a new species roaming the streets of Brandon this summer. I hear it has invaded Valley Springs, too.

It’s not deer. Or rabbits. It’s not even those pesky squirrels that seem to believe every road is their personal obstacle course.

I’m talking about kids on electric scooters.

They’re everywhere.

At first, it was one kid gliding down the sidewalk. Then two. Now they appear to travel in packs. Like geese or motorcycle gangs. Or perhaps a highly organized scooter cartel.

Just the other day, I spotted two youngsters riding a single scooter. A few blocks later, I saw three kids sharing one.

Three.

At that point, it stopped looking like transportation and started resembling a circus act. I half expected someone to emerge from a tiny clown car and begin juggling.

The scooters themselves seem capable of remarkable feats. They zip through neighborhoods, dart across intersections and appear to operate under a different set of physical laws than the rest of us.

I’ve seen some of these riders cruise along while staring at their cell phones. Apparently, steering, balancing, navigating traffic and checking Snapchat can all be accomplished simultaneously.

I couldn’t help but wonder: Could Brandon Police issue citations for “distracted scootering?”

Imagine explaining that one at the dinner table.

“What happened?”

“Well, Mom, I was trying to post a video while carrying my friend on the handlebars and nearly ran into a mailbox.”

Truth be told, the city actually has rules regarding scooters and other motorized devices. Many of those regulations exist for one simple reason: safety.

Unfortunately, judging by what I – and many of you, too – see rolling down sidewalks or oftentimes, zipping right down the middle of the street, there appears to be a widespread belief among young riders that the rulebook is merely a collection of friendly suggestions.

Helmets? Optional.

Passenger limits? Creative interpretation.

Stopping at corners? More of a philosophical concept.

Of course, every generation has had its thing.

My generation rode bikes without helmets and we built ramps that would horrify modern insurance companies. Before that, kids jumped into station wagons without seat belts and considered it perfectly normal.

The difference is that today’s scooters can move a lot faster than the bikes many of us grew up with. They may look like toys, but they can cause real injuries when common sense takes a day off.

That’s why the lesson can’t come solely from city ordinances or an occasional reminder from law enforcement.

The message of right and wrong starts at home.

Parents, please teach your children to wear helmets, to watch for traffic, and that one scooter is generally intended for one rider, not a small youth group.

Most importantly, parents teach children that rules aren’t obstacles designed to ruin fun. They’re guardrails intended to help everyone get home safely.

Because while it’s amusing to watch a scooter carrying enough passengers to qualify as public transit, nobody wants the summer fun to end with a trip to the emergency room.

So, if you’re a parent and your child has one of these speedy little machines, maybe now is a good time for a refresher course.

And if you’re a kid reading this, put the phone away while you’re scooting along.

The latest TikTok can wait.

The mailbox you’re headed toward cannot.

City of Brandon scooter rules

Effective since September 2025

CHAPTER 12-22 MOTORIZED FOOT SCOOTERS & ELECTRIC PERSONAL ASSISTANCE DEVICES

Below is a brief summary:

Persons under 14 years of age, motorized foot scooters and electric personal assistance devices shall:

A. Not be driven on any street in which there is an adjacent sidewalk on either side of the road.

B. Only be driven when wearing a helmet;

C. Only have one person on the device when it is being driven or ridden; and

D. Not be driven in a speed exceeding 15 mph.

Persons 14 years of age and older, motorized foot scooters and electric personal assistance devices:

A. May be driven on the sidewalk and streets, however, where there is a shared use path the driver is to drive on the shared use path.

B. May not exceed a speed that applies to the street.