Woman wants to change
mopeds rules
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - A local woman wants to change moped rules in Indiana.
Kara Post, 26, happened to be in a the wrong place at the wrong time as she drove home from work Monday morning.
As she drove eastbound on Glenwood Avenue, a moped, heading southbound on Carew Street, ran a yield sign and crashed into her.
"I did not see him at all," said Post. "I did not know what I hit, when I hit."
The man Post did not see is Jonathon Niswonger, 30. Post found him on the ground bleeding and called 911. He was taken to the hospital.
Post soon found out Niswonger did not have a license and his moped was un-insured. And when her car's damage was assessed, her insurance company found the estimated cost was not high enough to cover. Post either has to pay to get her car fixed herself, or drive it as is.
Under Indiana law, the moped didn't have to be insured or registered.
"That's decided by Indiana law which rates horsepower at the cylinder capacity," said Graig Lubsen, Deputy Director of the Indiana BMV Communications Department. "Generally if its under 50 cc's it doesn't need to be registered but it can be."
The costly situation is common in Fort Wayne. So far this year, the Fort Wayne Police Department has responded to 25 accidents involving a moped; 19 of those resulted in injuries. And police officials say, drivers of the small motorized bikes are often un-licensed and un-insured.
Post believes the law is unfair to people who wind up in situations like hers. "They need to be insured. They drive the streets just like vehicles," said Post. "I should not have to pay for somebody else's mistake."
The only way the law can be changed is through the legislative process. Post wants to get the ball rolling by calling her lawmakers.
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Woman wants to change mopeds rules