More Mopeds On Michigan Roads

DETROIT (WWJ) - With gasoline prices hovering around $4 per gallon for much of this spring and over the past few years, more Michigan motorists are hitting the road on mopeds.

WWJ Newsradio 950's Jon Hewett has more on the story.

According to the Michigan Secretary of State's Office, nearly 41,000 mopeds were registered in the state last year... that's more than double the number on the road from a decade earlier.

The major reason for the jump is the price at the pump.

Ranging in price from $500-$2,500 dollars new... moped riders can get up to 100 miles on a gallon of gas.  The drawback of course is that most top-out at about 30-miles-per-hour, making travel on many roadways, including state highways, illegal.

Still, the popularity of the moped is clearly growing... and along with it, the number of moped accidents... numbering at more than 300 on Michigan roadways in 2009.