Please visit this link - http://www.journalnow.com/news/ask_sam/ask-sam-there-are-clear-laws-for-mopeds-and-scooters/article_19f4a7a4-cdb6-11e3-9164-0017a43b2370.html

Ask SAM: There are clear laws for mopeds and scooters
Q: Please explain the law concerning these so-called scooters I am seeing all over the roadways lately. I thought they were limited to 25 mph or less, all riders were supposed to have helmets, and they were to ride far to the right of the lane so cars can safely pass when clear. I have never seen one stopped by any law enforcement and feel that needs to happen more often. This law needs to be changed.
Answer: Mopeds and scooters are considered one and the same in the eyes of North Carolina's Division of Motor vehicles, according to Lt. Tyrone Phelps with the Winston-Salem Police Department. N.C. General Statute 105-164.3 defines a moped as a vehicle with two or three wheels with a motor of no more than 50 cubic centimeters of piston displacement and no external shifting device.

“Your reader is correct that riders of mopeds must wear helmets while riding on public roadways (North Carolina General Statute 20-140.4) and are limited in speed, although the top speed allowed for a moped on a flat surface in North Carolina is actually 30 mph rather than 25 mph,” Phelps replied by email. Although some mopeds on the market have top speeds higher than the 30 mph limit, they are illegal for use in North Carolina, he said. If a moped does not fit the above requirements, it must be registered as a motorcycle under North Carolina Law.

“As the use of mopeds has increased over the past several years due to the economic downturn and the increasing price of gas, there has been a corresponding push to tighten the laws regarding their operation,” Phelps said. “A bill was introduced in the North Carolina legislature in February 2013 which would require that mopeds be registered with DMV and insured, and that only licensed drivers could operate mopeds.”

At last word, that bill — House Bill 48 — had been referred to the House Committee on Transportation. You can read the bill online at www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2013/Bills/House/PDF/H48v1.pdf. You may want to contact your representative to expression your opinions — pro or con — about this, or a similar, bill.

Here are some tips Phelps shared to make interactions between car drivers and moped drivers safer and more harmonious:

u Because mopeds are low-speed vehicles, their operators should travel primarily using the right travel lane.

u Mopeds are allowed a full lane of travel, so a motorist desiring to pass a moped should do so only when it is safe and by fully entering the adjoining lane and moped operators should not share lanes with any other vehicle.

u Moped operators should make sure that they are visible to other drivers, especially at intersections.

u Moped operators should never try to "squeeze" between parked cars and moving traffic.

u Moped operators may be charged with operating a moped while impaired.

“Law enforcement officers can and do take action against those illegally operating mopeds,” Phelps said. “If you see a violation, please call your local law enforcement agency to report it and provide as much descriptive information as possible about the moped and the operator.”
--------------------------------------------------------------