Some of them are buzzing along at 25 miles an hour, three and four abreast in their culottes-looking sport shorts, squinting their eyes against the sun, rain and bugs and looking as vulnerable as a line of ducklings making their way down an interstate.

Some ride all alone, knobby knees sticking this way and that, scared sinewy grip on the handles, earbuds in place to keep out the traffic noise or the taunts from the drivers yelling, "Get off Kalaniana'ole!"

You see some talking on cell phones while they ride from their Waikiki hotels to Hanauma or Makapu'u or wherever they're going on those precarious little mopeds they've rented. Sometimes it's a group of four or five and they're all on cell phones. Probably all talking to one another. Probably all trying to figure out how to get from their Waikiki hotel to Hanauma or Makapu'u.

Sometimes it's two people making their way along the highway, a guy and a girl, newlyweds, maybe two best buddies. They yell at each other over the wind and traffic noise and pass a torn map back and forth.

Oh, those mopeds. Who needs Haleakala downhill bikers when Honolulu has its very own thrill-seeking tourists careening down a busy six-lane highway?

It's not so much the college students or the everyday drivers who know the roads, know their routes and know what can and can't be done on a moped. Some moped riders are very Safety First.

It's the tourists out for adventure, the ones who are so new they can't even picture the shape of Oahu in their minds let alone distinguish between all the different "K" streets. ("It starts with a K and it's a long Hawaiian word. Do you know which street I'm talking about?")

The laws for operating a moped on Hawai'i roads are fairly straightforward. Paraphrasing from the Honolulu Police Department Web site:

"A moped driver must have a valid driver's license and be at least 15 years old; 18 years for folks with an out-of-state license. Traffic laws apply to people driving mopeds except where special rules apply. A moped must not be driven on a freeway or interstate highway. No passenger may be carried on a moped. Mopeds may not be driven on a sidewalk or any other place intended for exclusive use by pedestrians. A moped must be driven as near to the right edge of the roadway as is practicable. A moped must not be driven at a speed greater than 35 mph. Mopeds must be driven in single file. Mopeds must use bicycle lanes where provided on a roadway."

But there's nothing that says, "Gee, a trek out to East Honolulu along Kalaniana'ole is a long haul on a busy road, and on a moped you're going to be like a slow mosquito around many fast hands. Rent a car or take the bus."

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.