Incheon City Lowers Maximum Speed of Shared Electric Kickboards to 20 km/h

Incheon City has decided to lower the maximum speed of shared electric scooters to 20 km/h and implement mandatory certification for users under the age of 16 to create a safer usage environment.

On the 5th, the city announced that it made this decision after holding a meeting with four personal mobility (PM) service operators, including electric scooter and electric bicycle companies.

Currently, the Road Traffic Act limits the maximum speed of PMs to 25 km/h, but this has now been lowered to 20 km/h.

Data analysis by the shared electric scooter industry showed that the actual average operating speed does not reach 20 km/h due to crosswalks, other PM users, pedestrians, and slopes.

Additionally, a study by the Samsung Traffic Safety Culture Institute analyzed that reducing the maximum speed of electric scooters to 20 km/h decreases stopping distance by 26%, impact force by 36%, and lowers the possibility of serious injuries in accidents.

Electric scooter

The city also made certification mandatory for users under 16 to prevent unlicensed driving and identity theft among minors.

As cases of identity theft and 2-3 people riding one electric scooter together, increasing accident risks, have been rising, Incheon City decided to strengthen certification through discussions with companies to prevent safety accidents among youths and students.

An Incheon City official stated, "As personal mobility devices become more popular, accidents caused by improper use are occurring frequently, but the systems, culture, and infrastructure are all insufficient," and "we will continue to discuss with the industry to foster a culture of safe use of electric scooters and other devices."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.