The average monthly number of accidents involving electric scooters in Japan has increased six-fold since the country allowed users to drive vehicles without a driver’s license in July, business agency Kyodo News reported on April 28.
Traffic experts warn of the risk of fatal accidents as the number of scooter users increases and public awareness of the traffic rules associated with this relatively new mode of transport appears low.
In the six months since July, 86 people were injured in 85 traffic accidents involving electric scooters. This is almost equal to the total number of accidents recorded in the three years and five months since comparable data became available in January 2020, which was 88 accidents and 91 injuries.
According to the revised traffic law, users of electric scooters with a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour do not need a driver’s license, but minors under 16 years of age are prohibited from driving them.
According to the new rules, electric scooters must have a maximum length of 190 cm and a maximum width of 60 cm with green lights on the front and rear. They are primarily intended for road use, but can also be used on sidewalks at speeds of 6 km/h or less with green flashing lights.
Around midnight in February, in Osaka’s busy Minami district, police fined a woman in her 20s for illegal speeding on a sidewalk on a scooter. The woman told a reporter that she did not believe there were restrictions on walking on the sidewalk.
Some drivers were unaware that scooters exceeding 20 km/h still require a license, as demonstrated by an incident in February in Nagoya, central Japan, when a driver hit a pedestrian, causing serious injuries.
Meanwhile, there appears to be a growing trend among people using two-wheelers: Luup Inc., a Tokyo-based company that offers electric bike and scooter sharing services, is seeing the monthly download speed of its app increase two to three times compared to the previous period. the rules have been relaxed.
At the end of March, Luup had car rental kiosks in 10 prefectures.
Takeru Shibayama, senior researcher at the Vienna University of Technology’s Transport Institute, highlighted the need to educate about traffic rules, especially for young users.
“Because vehicles move silently, there is a risk of collision with pedestrians… and if a serious collision occurs, it could be fatal. It is important to enforce traffic laws and continually work to improve the level of traffic safety education in schools and other places,” Shibayama said. .
Previously, electric scooters were treated like mopeds with a displacement of less than 50 cubic centimeters and required drivers to have a driver’s license, wear a helmet and register the car with a license plate.
Vehicles covered by the new rules are now classified as small motorized bicycles.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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