RHINELANDER - With the price of gas putting the pinch on people's wallets more and more folks are turning to mopeds to ease the burden.

According to dealers in the area mo-ped sales are booming.

That also means there could be more accidents like the one that killed a 26-year old Kaukauna man yesterday who was out on his moped.



For so many of us the past few weeks have been difficult because the price at the pump just keeps going and going and going up. Amanda Schmieder says, "Yeah, with out a doubt."

Amanda Schmieder is a single mom living and working in Rhinelander. She's already living at home to save money and recently she gave up her car for a moped. She says, "I mean it takes me about three-fifty to fill this up compared to a half tank...thirty dollars, forty dollars."

According to Mike Goffard at Schoeder's Auto and Truck Sales in Rhinelander, Amanda is one of the many who has traded in her car for a moped.
Goffard says, "Absolutely, especially this year as gas prices have climbed moped sales have climbed dramatically."

That's why Goffard says it's important for mo-ped operators to abide by the rules of the road.
He says, "They are not able to ride on sidewalks or go through stoplights or anything like that. All traffic laws that apply to motor vehicles apply to mo-eds."

Goffard also says mo-ped operators like Amanda need to be aware of their surroundings and wear a helmet. Schmieder says, "Most of the time yes when I come to work at four in the morning I do wear a helmet."

So if you want to be safe while you're on your mo-ped it's a good idea to obey all the traffic laws and wear a helmet so you'll be around long enough to spend the all that money you save on gas.

Currently there is no law in Wisconsin requiring moped drivers to wear helmet. However, Goffard says he recommends it to all his customers.