Electric Scooters in Europe

   Electric scooters have become an integral part of everyday life in large cities, presenting themselves as an alternative for mobility. However, coexistence between pedestrians, motorists and users of these vehicles has been challenging, resulting in numerous accidents across Europe, including fatal cases.

   Due to unregulated parking and the increase in incidents, governments were concerned with developing new legislation to regulate the use of these means of transport. One example is France, which, in October 2019, introduced changes to the highway code prohibiting electric scooters from traveling at more than 25 km per hour, with fines of 1500 euros for violators. Furthermore, users must now drive individually, without headphones, to guarantee the perception of traffic noise, and the minimum age has been set at 12 years, with fines of 35 euros in case of non-compliance.

    The use of cycle paths has become mandatory, and, in their absence, scooters must travel on streets with a speed limit of less than 50 km per hour. Although theoretically driving on the sidewalk carries a fine of 135 euros, some cities have the possibility of authorizing this movement in spaces considered sufficiently wide.

   Other European countries also face similar challenges. In the United Kingdom, where scooters are banned on sidewalks and roads, a fatal accident involving a YouTuber in July 2019 caused major shock. Law enforcement is more flexible when users are properly equipped with helmets.

       In Portugal, concern about regulation and inspection has grown. Although the rules limit the speed of scooters to 25 km per hour, cases of speeding up to 80 km per hour have been recorded. In Lisbon, the municipality has already banned the circulation of these vehicles on several streets, imposing fines for abusive parking. Data released by the municipality indicates that the Municipal Police collected more than 17 thousand euros in fines for irregular parking of scooters between February and June 2019, with more than 1800 vehicles removed from the center of the Portuguese capital during that period.

SOURCE: https://pt.euronews.com/2019/10/25/europa-comeca-a-regular-trotinetes-eletrica