21 Rental Mopeds Seized for Unsafe Driving on Block Island

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Police on Block Island seized 21 mopeds after their drivers were seen operating them unsafely and in violation of their rental contracts over the weekend.

New Shoreham, Rhode Island, police said in a release Monday that an off-duty police officer spotted a large group of moped riders driving erratically Sunday afternoon.

The agency said the drivers were weaving through traffic, standing up while riding and not wearing helmets and protective eyewear.

Another nearby officer stopped the 19 mopeds and contacted the rental agencies that own them. Police say the companies requested the vehicles be impounded so that they could take possession of them for breaches of contract.

The department said it also confiscated two additional mopeds being driven erratically and on sidewalks later on Sunday.

“Unsafe and aggressive driving will not be tolerated in New Shoreham,” New Shoreham Police Chief Matthew Moynihan said in a statement. “We hope that our response to these incidents will make visitors think twice before bringing bad behavior with them on vacation.”