# Legality of pedal cars **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 1, 2007, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396 "2007-12-01T00:18:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/1 "2007-12-01T00:18:52Z")
[Pedal Car Pulled Over By Police](http://www.pandachute.com/pedal-car-pulled-over-by-police.htm) (warning: video link) It’s a car gutted out and fitted with pedal power. That particular example is basically a performance art (publicity stunt?), but still - _why_ is it illegal? Does any US state have limits on size and/or occupancy of bicycles? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/2 "2007-12-01T00:42:10Z")
For starters, it probably qualifies as “obstructing traffic”, which doesn’t require a vehicle. If you chose to set up a hot dog stand in the middle of the street they’d bust you, too. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/3 "2007-12-01T00:42:57Z")
Hmmm… No brakes, cracked windshield, no license plate, no turn signals… Operationally, it may resemble a large bike, but it’s still a car body and car frame on public roads. It’s got a VIN, so it’s still a car. It needs to abide by the same safety and equipment standards that engine-powered cars have to, and it also needs to be registered with the local DMV. Pretty cool, regardless. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/4 "2007-12-01T00:48:30Z")
[QUOTE=gotpasswords] It’s got a VIN, so it’s still a car. [/QUOTE] Is that really the legal definition? (Edit: good to see a policeman being reasonable in such a situation!) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/5 "2007-12-01T04:15:34Z")
[QUOTE=yabob] For starters, it probably qualifies as “obstructing traffic”, which doesn’t require a vehicle. [/QUOTE] But there are roads I bike on where the only safe way to ride is to take the whole lane. How is that any different? ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/6 "2007-12-01T04:23:02Z")
Not that I stuck around to find out, sitting at my desk, but the personal ads on that video site might not qualify as “safe for work.” Just a heads-up. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/7 "2007-12-01T15:16:49Z")
Pennsylvania has yearly state inspections for cars. This car could never pass that inspection, and would therefore not be road legal. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/8 "2007-12-01T15:18:31Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Pennsylvania has yearly state inspections for cars. This car could never pass that inspection, and would therefore not be road legal. [/QUOTE] But those inspections are for motor vehicles. This “car” doesn’t have a motor in it, so why does it need to pass the inspection? Just because it has a VIN? Would it be legal if it was built from scratch as a pedal car, but had the same size and appearance? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/9 "2007-12-01T15:45:23Z")
I think that by definition it is a motor vehicle, even if the motor is lacking. For example, some municipalities do not allow a car to be sitting on your private property if it is not currently inspected. It can be a rusting frame up on blocks and lacking an engine, it is still a motor vehicle. Built from scratch pedal care? I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/10 "2007-12-01T22:32:06Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] [Pedal Car Pulled Over By Police](http://www.pandachute.com/pedal-car-pulled-over-by-police.htm) (warning: video link) It’s a car gutted out and fitted with pedal power. That particular example is basically a performance art (publicity stunt?), but still - _why_ is it illegal? Does any US state have limits on size and/or occupancy of bicycles? [/QUOTE] Wow ,I think that was 52 division down in Toronto of all places. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/11 "2007-12-02T07:25:32Z")
Here is a [human powered car](http://www.humancar.com/) that allegedly is “steet legal globally.” They describe it as a “low mass vehicle” that meets the “USDOT low speed vehicle specification” which apparently is 25 mph. So I guess it is possible to have a human powered vehicle that can carry multiple people on the road as long as it is not too heavy or too fast. On the roads at South Padre Island (a resort community on the Texas coast) you can use four person pedal powered things (as well as small electric enclosed golf cart like vehicles) on the state maintained roads on the island. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/12 "2007-12-02T11:28:38Z")
Because it started out life as an automobile, it’s considered a car. So we’ve got a vehicle which depending upon where you’re located could be required to have any number of things, many of which have been removed from that car. Next, we’ve got it’s top speed, which the video gives as 15 KPH, for us 'Merkins that’s a **mere** 9 MPH. Judging by the amount of traffic on that road, and the reactions of other drivers, I’d say that was _well_ below the posted speed limit. Try that in a car with an engine, and you’ll get a ticket for obstructing traffic. Really, what they did was pretty stupid, IMHO. Even stripped of all of it’s unneeded components, that car still had to weigh around 1,000 lbs. whcih is an awful lot to try to pedal around. Much better would have been for them to build an updated version of [this](http://www.flickr.com/photos/9019268@N02/561644478/) [French](http://www.flickr.com/photos/9019268@N02/561644494/) [cyclecar](http://www.flickr.com/photos/9019268@N02/562666205/), which has a small gas motor along with pedals. Of course, riding around in traffic in a microcar _does_ have it’s disadvantages as [this video of a Peel 50 being driven in traffic and then the _offices_ of the BBC shows.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYtro7PnBA8) :eek: ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/13 "2007-12-02T17:46:43Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Because it started out life as an automobile, it’s considered a car. [/quote] Is there a point where it ceases to be a car? A car hood cut off and made into furniture is no longer a car, I presume. But I do get your point. I was mostly curious why that example is illegal while [this human-powered vehicle](http://en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/guides_and_advice/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5643575) is legal, and the key difference seems to be whether it was once built (and/or registered) as a motor vehicle. > [@](#): > > Of course, riding around in traffic in a microcar _does_ have it’s disadvantages as [this video of a Peel 50 being driven in traffic and then the _offices_ of the BBC shows.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYtro7PnBA8) :eek: The OP was about a pedal car the size of a standard sedan, not a microcar. Anyway the Top Gear segment doesn’t seem to discuss or show any major disadvantages of a small car. Specific design issues with this car, perhaps (e.g. legs in the crumple zone), but it seems like a useful vehicle to have in a city. Hmm, if I were to bring a Peel-50 to the US and convert it into a pedal car, would that not be street-legal as well? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/14 "2007-12-02T21:38:35Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] Is there a point where it ceases to be a car? A car hood cut off and made into furniture is no longer a car, I presume. But I do get your point. I was mostly curious why that example is illegal while [this human-powered vehicle](http://en.autos.sympatico.msn.ca/guides_and_advice/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5643575) is legal, and the key difference seems to be whether it was once built (and/or registered) as a motor vehicle. [/quote] Yup. > [@](#): > > The OP was about a pedal car the size of a standard sedan, not a microcar. Anyway the Top Gear segment doesn’t seem to discuss or show any major disadvantages of a small car. Specific design issues with this car, perhaps (e.g. legs in the crumple zone), but it seems like a useful vehicle to have in a city. > > Hmm, if I were to bring a Peel-50 to the US and convert it into a pedal car, would that not be street-legal as well? Well, the Peel’s technically a _motorcycle_ as it only has three wheels (US laws would consider it to be a scooter because of how small the motor is, if it had pedals to go with that motor, it’d be a moped), so the laws governing it aren’t quite as strict. On city streets you could legally operate it, but because of it’s slow speed, if you tried drive it on the interstate, you’d be ticketed assuming you lived long enough for a cop to spot you, that is. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/15 "2008-04-04T21:05:34Z")
An update: [They beat the rap.](http://www.thestar.com/article/410165) In reading the article, it looks to me like the prosecutor basically blew the case. He argued that the candles used for headlights posed a threat to other cars on the road. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/16 "2008-04-04T21:18:23Z")
Well, I’m glad they weren’t convicted. If the vehicle is a quadricycle, though, it still needs head and tail lights and reflectors. And the operators have to wear bike helmets. I’m now alarmed to read in the same article that our rickshaws apparently have _no_ brakes! What if they pick up speed on a downgrade while being pursued by on-fire grizzlies wearing rollerskates and heading for the streetcar tracks? It could endanger the passengers, especially if they are cute children with bog adorable eyes! ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2008, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/17 "2008-04-04T22:37:43Z")
[QUOTE=gotpasswords] Hmmm… No brakes, cracked windshield, no license plate, no turn signals… [/QUOTE] Drivers apparently completely high… ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_B.Phart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Capt\_B.Phart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_B.Phart)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/18 "2008-04-05T00:23:40Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Of course, riding around in traffic in a microcar _does_ have it’s disadvantages as [this video of a Peel 50 being driven in traffic and then the _offices_ of the BBC shows.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYtro7PnBA8) :eek: [/QUOTE] That video seems to be gone from there - but it’s still [here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqf1yKxb9hI) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/19 "2008-04-05T04:09:57Z")
Another article [here](http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_21336.aspx), which sates: > [@](#): > > The judge dropped the charge, not because he liked the concept but because the vehicle wasn’t actually a car at all. Therefore the specific charge of operating an unsafe vehicle didn’t legally apply. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2008, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396/20 "2008-04-05T04:24:08Z")
[QUOTE=scr4] Another article [here](http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_21336.aspx), which sates: [/QUOTE] Which doesn’t make anmy sense as a bicycle is as much a vehicle as a car is. They’re just different types of vehicles. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-pedal-cars/428396.md?page=2)