RECREATIONAL USE OF MOPEDS IN HONOLULU WITH LEGISLATIVE BACKGROUND

The 1978 Hawaii State Legislature passed a bill which defines mopeds and places them in a new category. Previously, mopeds were considered to be a subclass of bicycles. Mopeds, which are devices and not vehicles, are required to use existing bikeways unless posted otherwise. Moped drivers must possess a valid driver's license and must be at least fifteen years old. Moped rental firms are required to carry a minimum damage and liability insurance coverage. The majority of moped renters are visitors from the other States. Males outnumber females by two-to-three to one and are older. The average rental duration is about six hours. Almost all trips are for sight seeing and joy riding. Ten percent involve another recreational activity such as swimming. Twelve percent of those interviewed also rented a car. Thirteen percent of the non car renters did not rent a car because of moped availability. Fifity-four percent went to places they would not visit if a moped was not available. Half of those who would have visited the same places would have used the bus. Renters agreed with student bicycle and moped riders that the need for more and better bikeways, better roadway conditions and inconsiderate motorists are major problems. A higher proportion of renters were completely satisfied as compared with the other two groups. Traffic violations by moped users are generally tolerated by the police. The majority of moped accidents reported involved a minor visible injury. With one exception, no significant differences were found in relation to accidents between rentes and owners; accidents involving renters are less likely to occur on multi-lane divided highways than accidents involving owners. A significant difference was found in the perception of roadway conditions between moped users and police officers completing accident reports; a better awareness of special problems faced by moped users is needed. /Author/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Prepared for presentation at the First National Moped Conference May 10-12, 1976, Anaheim, California. Sponsored by the Metropolitan Association of Urban Designers and Environmental Planners.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Hawaii, Manoa

  College of Engineering
  Honolulu, HI  United States  96822
• Authors:
  • Papacostas, C S
  • YOSHIOKA, W
• Publication Date: 1978-4

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 23 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age; Automobiles; Bikeways; Driver licenses; Drivers; Highway safety; Highways; Injuries; Insurance; Laws; Mopeds; Recreational vehicles; Traffic violators; Urban areas
• Uncontrolled Terms: Driver age
• Subject Areas: Highways; Law; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00178861
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: CETP-TR-78-1
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 19 1978 12:00AM