The small wheels, the high center of gravity and the lack of a crash helmet pose an increased risk of serious injuries.
The electric scooter is indispensable in the cities. More convenient than walking on the legs, hip among young people. But also: the more e-scooters, the more accidents. The VAB writes that the politicians have therefore developed a series of new measures. For example, the driver must be at least 16 and the e-step is no longer allowed to drive on the sidewalk.
The electric scooter is here to stay, there is now a broad consensus about this. It can be especially important for the 'last mile': to travel from the peripheral car park to the center, to commute from the station to the workplace or simply to rush from home to school. Young people find the electric scooter cool, an older audience finds it especially useful. Easier to take with you in the car or on the train than an electric bicycle and a lot faster than moving on foot.
No more on the sidewalk
In addition, the e-step has even more advantages: in practice no additional insurance is required for the most common models, the classic family insurance covers the user if the scooter is limited to 25 kilometers per hour. This also applies to partial steps. The various mobility ministers in our country have just reached an agreement that clarifies the use of the electric scooter. For example, you will have to be at least 16 years old to drive an e-step. There is one exception: children are allowed to ride an electric scooter on the seawall and in play streets, because these environments are safer.
Furthermore, the electric scooter is no longer allowed to drive on the footpath. In practice, the rule that the e-step had to maintain the speed of the pedestrians was not complied with. And so the electric scooter is definitively moving to the bicycle path. Or right on the road if there is no cycle path. On public roads, the e-scooter must have lighting: a white or yellow light at the front, a red light at the back. A helmet is not required. Anyone who steps on the sidewalk risks a fine of 58 euros. You are also not allowed to ride two (or more) on an e-step.
Also read: Thousand injured e-steppers last year
