13.11.2024
Mandatory common technical requirements for all electric scooters sold in the European Union: – speed limiter (max 20 km/h: in Italy it is mandatory at 6 km/h in pedestrian areas where the circulation of electric scooters is permitted and at 20 km/h h in all other contexts), greater stability, front, rear brakes and minimum braking standards, limits on maximum acceleration, front and rear lights, horn (with us, brakes, horn and lights are already mandatory) – and rules capable of increasing traffic safety standards as much as possible: 16 years of minimum age to drive an electric scooter (in Italy, it is 14 years), compulsory helmet (in our country, it is compulsory only for minors), ban of carrying passengers and driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs (bans already foreseen in Italy), legal limits on blood alcohol levels, strengthening of road checks (deaths with scooters are often related to alcohol) .
This is what the ETSC (European Transport Safety Council, of which the Automobile Club of Italy is a member) – an independent, non-profit organization based in Brussels, committed to reducing the number of deaths and injuries in the road transport sector in Europe – with the Relationship “PIN Flash Report 47 – Improving the Road Safety of e-scooters”.
“Electric scooters – declared Jenny Carson, co-author of the Report – are now a consolidated and popular means of getting around urban areas in the EU. However, they also carry a degree of risk that needs to be addressed more effectively than is currently the case. With the right combination of a safer urban traffic environment, safer vehicles and safer user behaviour, we can ensure greater safety on the roads for e-scooter riders, cyclists and pedestrians.”
According to the analysis of the national data of the European countries considered in the ETSC Report, in 2022, the deaths in road accidents with electric micro-mobility devices (scooters but also less widespread vehicles, such as monowheels: self-balancing single wheels) were 119 , against 81 in 2021 (+46.91%). In Italy, deaths went from 9 in 2021 to 16 in 2022 (+77.78%), reaching 21 in 2023 (+31.25%).
When evaluating numbers and percentages, however, it is essential to take into account the significant increase in the use of these devices. Regarding speed, ETSC highlights the importance of reducing speed limits to 30 km/h in urban areas, to reduce risks for vulnerable users, such as electric scooter drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
Finally, the ETSC asks that those EU safety standards – mandatory for cars, vans and trucks – which can help prevent accidents with pedestrians and cyclists, be updated as soon as possible so as to also recognize drivers of electric scooters : In fact, it takes years for new technologies to spread to most vehicles on the road.