Electric Kickboards Blocking Roads Cause Accidents... "Please Make Laws"

As the use of personal mobility devices has recently increased, the voices of citizens complaining about inconveniences are growing louder. This time, an electric scooter was spotted abandoned in the middle of the road.

On the 2nd, a post titled "I wish there were laws related to electric scooters" was uploaded on the online community BobaeDream. The author, Mr. A, wrote, "When I see scooters lying around on the street, I sometimes want to break them because they are just left there," and added, "I hope the regulations are strengthened or they are all removed." He then shared a photo of an electric scooter parked in the middle of the road, saying, "Here is a photo of an electric scooter left by some inconsiderate person in the middle of a hill in Hakik-dong, Michuhol-gu, Incheon."

As the use of personal mobility devices has recently increased, the voices of citizens complaining about inconveniences are growing louder. This time, an electric scooter was spotted abandoned in the middle of the road. Online community 'BobaeDream'

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In the photo shared by Mr. A, an electric scooter is parked alone in the middle of a curved road on a sloping hill. Behind it, there is also a bicycle that appears to be a shared bike. Netizens responded to the post with comments such as, "When you move a scooter, a warning sound goes off and everyone looks at you. That’s really annoying," "Many people are suffering because of shared bikes and scooters," "All shared scooters and bikes should be removed," "It’s so ridiculous that it makes me laugh that it’s parked in that spot," and "I also remember scooters blocking apartment main gates."

According to data confirmed by Seoul City Council member Yoon Young-hee during a traffic committee report around November last year, 76% of 1,000 citizens surveyed in Seoul’s "Personal Mobility Device Public Perception Survey" conducted in September supported banning the operation of privately rented electric scooters. Additionally, 95% of respondents felt the danger of electric scooters, and 79% experienced inconvenience caused by others using electric scooters.

As traffic accidents involving electric scooters among teenagers increase, the government has decided to strengthen regulations on personal mobility (PM) companies going forward. The aim is to minimize unlicensed accidents by making it mandatory to verify users’ licenses. Since it is difficult to supervise personal mobility devices under the current Road Traffic Act, the government plans to newly enact a "Law for the Safe Use Promotion of Personal Mobility Devices" (tentative name).

As traffic accidents involving electric scooters among teenagers are increasing, the government has decided to strengthen regulations on Personal Mobility (PM) companies. The aim is to minimize accidents caused by unlicensed riders by making it mandatory to verify users' license ownership. Asia Economy

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The core of the government’s measures is to impose an obligation on companies providing personal mobility services such as electric scooters to verify users’ licenses. This is to restrict reckless use of electric scooters by teenagers. According to the current Road Traffic Act, personal mobility devices powered by electricity can only be operated by those with a "Class 2 motorized bicycle" license or higher, which can be obtained from age 16. However, rental companies are not obligated to verify licenses. With regulations effectively not enforced, accidents involving minors on scooters are increasing day by day. According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Jin Sun-mi, a member of the National Assembly’s Education Committee from the Democratic Party, traffic accidents involving minors using personal mobility devices were 39 cases in 2019, but increased to 151 in 2020, 455 in 2021, and 955 in 2022, showing a rising trend every year.

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