Some Chicago suburbs cracking down on electric scooters and bikes over safety concerns

Several recent deadly and serious crashes involving popular electric scooters have thrust their safety into the spotlight. Now some Chicago suburbs are cracking down on where and how they can be used.

Last Friday, a woman riding an e-scooter in Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood was hit by a jeep. She later died from her injuries, and the driver was given a citation for failing to avoid an accident.

As more people are riding electric scooters, many cities want to regulate who can hop on one and where.

Just about everywhere you turn in the Chicago area, you can find someone moving on an electric scooter.

While they can get you around quickly, it turns out communities are quickly putting the brakes on motorized scooters and those electric bikes.

Several suburban communities – including Oak Lawn, Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Hinsdale and Naperville – have adopted ordinances placing age limits on the devices, and restrictions on where you can ride them.

Naperville adopted its ordinance last summer for safety in the wake of mounting complaints about safety issues.

Some incidents have turned deadly. In March, 15-year-old Violet Harris was killed in a hit-and-run while  she a friend were riding e-scooters in South Shore. Police are still looking for driver who hit her.

There's a new effort for statewide age limits for riding scooters.

"Today, some of these devices travel over 28 mph, in some cases exceeding 50 mph, yet under current Illinois law, many remain undefined, inconsistently regulated, or not regulated at all," said Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, who is hoping to get some consistency across the state.

He's pushing legislation that would require a driver's license, title, registration, and insurance for riders if an electric bicycle travels at more than 28 mph. The bill requires a minimum age of 16 to operate e-bikes.

Under the legislation, electric scooters, electric skateboards, and electric unicycles would be prohibited from operating over 28 mph on roads, bike lanes, bike paths, and sidewalks.

The bill passed the Illinois Senate and his heading to the Illinois House. If passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, it could go into effect next January.