Most students can’t wait to turn 16, get their on-campus parking passes and drive themselves to and from school. It’s a right of passage in a way, a smooth transition from underclassman to upperclassman. But what if you didn’t have to wait to reach the legal driving age?

Fifteen-year-old sophomore Hunter Minne drives to school every day on his electric blue moped, fittingly named “Blueberry Jr.,” as in the iconic car driven by Psychic detective Shawn Spencer and his best friend Gus on the T.V. show “Psych,” with only a driver’s permit and a copy of the Georgia State laws in his pocket. 

To legally operate a moped, drivers “must be 15 years of age and have in their possession an unexpired driver’s license, instructional permit or limited permit” and “must wear protective headgear (motorcycle helmet),” according to the Georgia Department of Driver Services. 

Minne can’t take his moped on the interstate, but he can still travel to and from St. Pius with little difficulty, aside from worrying about getting pulled over by cops who are misinformed about the road rules regarding moped travel. To combat this, Minne carries a copy of the laws during the 20 minute drive between his house and school.

The downsides of the moped include a number of aggressive drivers on the road that “try to speed up and go around me,” Minne said.

Some of these drivers make Minne feel very nervous, as he is hard to see in traffic sometimes and can’t go that fast.

“My first time learning to drive, someone followed three feet behind me around my neighborhood until they passed me,” Minne said

Jr. can clock about 35 miles per hour when going up a hill and 45 miles per hour when going back down.

According to Minne, the best part of driving a moped is when he reaches about 25 miles per hour because it “sounds like an airplane taking off.”

Minne purchased the shiny, innovative little vehicle from Mooney MotorSports, which imports its goods from China, for a steal of $1000.

“They usually cost up to $1,800,” Minne bragged. 

Although the moped serves its purpose and rarely needs gas, Minne plans on graduating to a car sometime in the next two years. 

Other students, especially his fellow sophomores who can’t drive yet, like the moped. 

“It’s pretty nifty,” sophomore Emalyn Yantis said.

Minne said that one of his friends “may buy a blue truck and call it Blueberry Sr.,” ensuring that even when the inevitable day comes that Blueberry Jr. is retired, it’s memory will still live on.