400 percent increase. More and more people riding scooters under the influence
According to data from the Road Traffic Office of the Police Headquarters, in the first five months of this year there were 223 accidents involving electric scooters , one person died and 242 were injured. This is an increase of 121 accidents and 136 people injured compared to the same period last year; one less fatality.
Referring to this data, Anna Zielińska from the Polish Road Safety Observatory ITS pointed to the growing popularity of electric scooters. She added that it is mainly about the growth of so-called shared scooters, i.e. those that can be rented.
- This is an increase of about 400 percent year on year, and electric scooter systems already exist in 200 cities in Poland - she noted.
According to Zielińska, this growth requires education.
- We know that very few people know the rules according to which we should ride e-scooters, we do not know where we can ride them and how. The regulations in this area came into force relatively recently, because electric scooters appeared in the Road Traffic Law in 2021 - she reminded.
The expert pointed out that few people refer to the regulations , which is why education is important. This includes education on the rights and obligations of e-scooter users, as well as learning how to ride such a device.
- An electric scooter is a very specific vehicle, with unusual mechanics and a large turning radius, small wheels and significant acceleration. Therefore - especially at the beginning - steering it can be difficult - she assessed.
According to the expert, a good solution would be to introduce learning to ride an electric scooter while studying for a bicycle license exam . As Zielińska reminded, children over 10 years of age who want to ride a bike or scooter on public roads are required to have a bicycle license.
- This is a very good moment to enable learning and showing how such a device works, in addition to teaching how to ride a bike, so that it is not a surprise - she said.
Citing analyses by the Motor Transport Institute, she reported that 12% of people driving electric scooters who were involved in accidents were under the influence of alcohol . - This is more than the average for all drivers, because on average 7% of drivers involved in accidents were found to be under the influence of alcohol - she said.
At the same time, she added that this is not a phenomenon unique to Poland. - There are methods, quite simple, to counteract this. For example, in Finland, where it was found that scooter accident victims show up at the hospital emergency room at night, they simply banned and blocked the possibility of renting scooters after midnight . This is a fairly simple way to eliminate the threat," she assessed.
- However, it must be remembered that electric scooters are not only shared devices, which have a speed limited to 20 km/h, but also private devices, often with the possibility of moving up to 50 km/h - she pointed out.
Zielińska recalled ITS research from 2022, which showed that 54% of electric scooters exceeded the permitted speed (20 km/h), and only 20% drove slower than 18 km/h. 3% of the scooters tested drove above 30 km/h.
- It is very dangerous, because electric scooters are used primarily on bicycle paths and in the same space they have to coexist with regular bicycles, electric bicycles and traffic assistance devices. That is why it is very important for the police to check electric scooters more often - she said.
She added that there are devices that allow you to check at what speed a given scooter can go.
The expert also pointed out another problem. It concerns the small number of e-scooter users who wear helmets .
- Our research shows that about 5% of e-scooter users wear helmets, which is also very important, because of all accidents involving e-scooters, as many as 20%, or every fifth accident, involve the scooter tipping over. A helmet would be very helpful here - she noted.
Zielińska reminded that electric scooters cannot be ridden on the road if the permitted speed is above 30 km/h . In such a case, the e-scooter user should ride on a bicycle path, and if there is no such path - on the sidewalk.
- If he rides on the sidewalk, he must remember that pedestrians have the right of way there, so he cannot endanger them with his behavior. He should also remember that the speed at which he moves must be adjusted to the speed of the pedestrian - she emphasized.
rynekzdrowia
