Many two-wheeled motorized vehicle drivers in the nation’s capital are violating the law and do n’t appear to be facing any consequences for doing so.  ,
People, many of whom entered the country illegally, are acquiring and driving scooters to do food sales in the District of Columbia, but many of the scooters do not have legal license sheets, indicating they are n’t properly registered or insured.  ,
Within 30 days of purchase, a motorcycle or a motor-driven cycle, a motor vehicle that has a gas, electric, or hybrid motor and ca n’t travel above 30 mph, must be registered with the District’s Department of Motor Vehicles and have a license plate displayed on the back of the two- or three-wheeled vehicle.  ,  ,
The Daily Signal became conscious of an increase in the District’s motor-driven processes without license sheets. If operating a motorized vehicle in the District at speeds above 20 miles per hour, not only does that car require registration, the motorist is required to “have on his or her hands a valid]driver’s ] license” and healthcare, per the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles.  ,  ,  ,
Improper creatures may obtain a temporary D. C. DMV driver’s license or identification cards for the duration of the notice’s processing time up to a maximum of 18 weeks using a notice to appear, also known as a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Notice of Action, or a Variety I- 797.
The Daily Signal launched an investigation to find out whether the motor bike drivers have the legal training to operate the motorized bikes and whether D.C. police are working to stop people from operating non-registered vehicles in the city.  ,
The investigation revealed that illegal aliens are purchasing motorized bikes from a variety of sources and that D.C. police do not appear to be enforcing registration laws.  ,  ,
The Daily Signal spoke with a dozen motorized bike owners and a D.C.-based seller over the course of a week.  ,
Selling the Bikes
The Daily Signal inquired a shop employee about whether someone who entered the United States illegally could drive a motor-driven cycle without a license when they visited an e-bike and motorized cycle retailer. The seller said that in the District, “police do n’t give any attention to that”.
The bike shop employee said drivers do n’t need a license to operate a 49cc ( or lower ) bike. Before showing The Daily Signal a drawer full of license plates that read” 49cc,” he then explained that the shop only sells 50+ cc bikes.
Unaware that he was speaking to journalists, the seller claimed that the shop places” 49cc” plates on the bikes to avert suspicion over the actual motor size.
In addition to requiring license plates, motorized bikes capable of going faster than 20 mph also require insurance, per D. C. law.
The Drivers ,
The Daily Signal spoke with moped-style bike riders on D.C.’s streets and questioned them about their legal status, insurance, registration, and police interdiction for not having a license plate on their vehicles.  ,
The majority of the drivers we spoke with confirmed that they had illegally crossed the southern border. Despite all of the drivers we spoke with operating vehicles that required a license plate, one American citizen included, none of them had legitimate license plates on their motor-driven cycles. All of the drivers were silent about revealing their names.  ,
” How long have you had this bike”? A woman driving a motorized vehicle outside a block of fast-food restaurants in the District was asked by The Daily Signal.  ,
” Four months”, she said.  ,  ,
” And how big is this bike?  ,
” 150,” she answered, referring to the motor or engine size.  ,  ,
” It requires registration and insurance? ”  ,  ,
” Yes,” she said—adding that she does n’t have either.  ,  ,
” And the police do not bother? ”  ,
” No,” she answered, adding that as long as she wears a helmet and” does n’t run red lights,” the police do not bother her.  ,  ,
The only other driver we spoke with who claimed she was aware that her car needed to be registered and that she had not done so.  ,  ,
” What do you want to know? “another driver asked, when The Daily Signal approached him, explaining he had food orders to deliver. The news outlet again inquired about the engine size and how long he had owned the bike.  ,  ,
” Three months, “he replied in Spanish, adding that the bike is 150cc. The man claimed to have spent three years in America.  ,  ,
The man claimed he has insurance for the bike and all the necessary legal documentation despite the bike’s lack of a license plate.  ,  ,
When asked whether he had been stopped for not having a license plate, he said”, So far, no. ”  ,  ,
Another man, driving a red motorized bike, said his vehicle was 50cc and does not require a license plate, despite D. C. law requiring a plate for such a vehicle. Additionally, he claimed that the police have not stopped him.  ,  ,
Another man, who said he was from Venezuela and entered the U. S. through the border in December, told The Daily Signal he was driving a 50cc bike, adding the bike does not require registration or insurance, which is incorrect per D. C. law. The man said he was using his mother’s food- delivery app to deliver orders to customers since” she has papers. ”  ,
The Daily Signal spoke to one food- delivery driver on a 150cc bike who is a U. S. citizen, and like the non- American delivery drivers, he also had no license plate on his bike.  ,  ,
A 150cc motor-driven cycle without a license plate is currently being circulated in the District of Columbia. ( Photo: Tim Kennedy/The Daily Signal )
” Bro, to be honest, they do n’t even do nothing,” the man told The Daily Signal when asked about the lack of a license plate on his bike”. He mentioned that he had a 50cc bike for two or three years and that he only had one about a year ago when he said of his bike.  ,  ,
D. C. police treat 50cc and 150cc bikes” the same,” the driver said”. It’s like a weird loophole, bro. ”  ,
The American driver claimed that there were only two or three other moped drivers making food deliveries in the northwest portion of the District where he works until a year and a half ago. All other food- delivery drivers were using cars, bicycles, or e- bikes, he said, adding that in the past year, the number of moped- style bikes has risen to about 1, 000, in his estimation.  ,  ,
The American explained why he chose to purchase a 150cc motorcycle despite the fact that so many other drivers were putting up more money to hire and get their food delivered more quickly and efficiently.  ,  ,
Response From DC Police
The D. C. Metropolitan Police Department contacted The Daily Signal to find out whether the city was aware of the situation and what was being done to enforce license plates and insurance laws there.  ,  ,
Those driving motor- driven cycles in D. C. without a license plate are” testing their luck,” Tom Lynch, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police Department, told The Daily Signal on Monday.  ,
According to Lynch, it’s impossible to be certain whether a police officer has passed a driver The Daily Signal spoke with. The MPD is actively working to stop crime and traffic infractions in the city.  ,
According to a Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson,” Chair [Pamela] Smith has heard the concerns from the community about traffic safety and is working to strengthen MPD’s traffic enforcement,” Lynch emailed to The Daily Signal in a prepared statement.  ,
She has pledged that the Department will conduct at least two high-visibility Traffic Safety Compliance Checkpoints each month during her first year, according to the spokesperson. The D. C. Council confirmed Smith as the new chief in November.  ,
” So far, MPD has conducted 40 Traffic Safety Compliance Checkpoints across the District. Nearly 19, 000 vehicles have passed through these checkpoints, resulting in over 2, 600 notice of infractions, 84 arrests and the recovery of 13 firearms, “according to the department’s spokesperson, adding:  ,
Our individual police districts, Special Operations Division, and Reserve Corps Unit run regular traffic enforcement and education initiatives throughout the city in addition to our Traffic Safety Compliance Checkpoints. Additionally, MPD regularly collaborates with Montgomery County and Prince George’s County police to protect the safety of major thoroughfares near our borders. These enforcement and education initiatives are specific to reaching the Mayor’s goal of Vision Zero and target speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, and other violations to reduce the number of traffic fatalities.  ,
Overall, in 2023, MPD members issued more than 50, 000 tickets for traffic violations.  ,
We request that the general public keep in touch with the police with any information. Members of the public can provide the MPD with crucial information anonymously using the Anonymous Crime Tip Line and Text Tip Line. Dial ( 202 ) 727- 9099 or send a text to 50411.  ,
