Europe Takes On E-Scooter Safety

In many towns and cities around the world, e-scooters – electric scooters – have proliferated. These new(ish) modes of transport can be fun, fast, convenient, and maybe even good for the environment by reducing reliance on cars and other gas-fueled vehicles. But are they safe, or are they putting riders and others at risk?

A report detailing the challenges posed by micro mobility in the United States, discussed in Forbes article “As E-Scooter Use Booms, So Do Safety Concerns,” found that data and research evaluating e-scooter safety “are lagging behind the rapid adoption and expansion of this form of transportation.”

Since then, there have been some notable developments in Europe.

In early April, Paris passed a referendum to ban rental e-scooters from its streets, backed by 89% of those who voted. (Privately owned scooters will still be permitted.) Paris is the largest city to ban them, Sarah M. Kaufman, the interim director of the N.Y.U. Rudin Center for Transportation, told The New York Times.

And earlier this year, the European Transport Safety Council, a Brussels-based independent non-profit organization and the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, a nonprofit in the United Kingdom, released a series of safety recommendations for e-scooters for how design and use can be made safer, addressing everything from wheel size to various bans.

The report, “Recommendations on Safety of E-scooters,” was developed in response to the rapid growth of e-scooter usage over the last five years and an increase in deaths and serious injuries, the authors said. In many countries, regulations, which vary considerably, are struggling to keep pace. The aim is to set common standards that are widely implemented, for minimum age, maximum power and speed, helmet use and other factors impacting health and safety.

A wide range of data, hospital studies, vehicle safety testing and research from Europe and other countries was examined as part of the analysis.

“E-scooters are now a common sight in European cities, but sadly so too are seriously injured e-scooter riders in hospitals,” Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the European Transport Safety Council, said in a statement. “We need some sensible measures to keep riders and other road users safe.”

Some of the recommendations:

• Minimum rider age of 16, or an age limit aligned with age for riding a moped;
• Mandatory helmets, aligned with current rules in Denmark, Finland, Greece and Spain. Seven other European countries require children to wear helmets;
• Bans on riding with passengers, on pavements, while using a handheld mobile phone and under the influence of alcohol or drugs;
• Factory-set speed limit of 20 km/h, (about 12.5 miles per hour) aligned with current rules in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland and a 250W power limit;
• Anti-tampering measures to prevent use at unsafe speeds;
• Larger wheels, a minimum size of 30.5 cm (about 12 inches); and
• Independent front and rear brakes, lights, indicators and an audible warning device.

“E-scooters can play a role in sustainable cities of the future,”Avenoso added, noting that while specific guidelines can be set for them, “it is also the responsibility of cities to put in place the kind of safe road environment,” – with a network of separate cycle lanes, appropriate speed limits, low traffic zones and higher levels of enforcement – “that is essential to greater safety for all.”

How the new challenges presented by e-scooters and other micro mobility modes of transport, like high-speed electric bikes, small electric cargo delivery vehicles, and electric skateboards are resolved by policymakers, the report said, “could have significant impacts on road safety, the environment, urban design and public health in the coming years.”

For an overview of current e-scooter rules in Europe, click here. To access the full report, click here.