Less than a month after the approval of e-treadrollers, traffic associations have drawn a critical interim balance sheet. In view of the first accidents, the german road safety council and the german automobile association (ADAC) called for better information about safety hazards.
Some serious accidents have been reported in berlin and other cities since the permit was issued, christian kellner, chief executive of the traffic safety council, told the german press agency. "This shows how dangerous riding e-scooters is and how much it is underestimated by some people"."
A broad clarification is urgently needed. "Everyone needs to know how to drive the vehicles and what accident risks exist when."This is also a challenge for the manufacturers and sharing providers, who could provide safety information directly via app or via the e-scooter.
Carelessly parked e-scooters
"More and more often, carelessly parked e-scooters are tripping hazards on castle sidewalks," said kellner. This must be prevented – also that these vehicles are used in pairs. "If the accident situation continues to worsen and more people are admitted to hospitals with head injuries and fractures, we will have to think about making helmets compulsory," kellner said. "Then the federal government had to work with the lander to adapt the regulation accordingly."
E-scooters are allowed to travel between 6 and 20 kilometers per hour and must have a steering or stop bar. Two brakes, lights and a "brightly sounding bell" are also required. They are permitted from the age of 14, and helmets are not compulsory. E-scooters must be driven on bike paths – if there are none, it must be the roadway.
According to the police, there have already been a number of accidents on the roads and footpaths in recent weeks. In berlin, at least seven e-scooter accidents and at least eight serious injuries with broken bones and head injuries have been recorded so far. Frankfurt and hamburg reported a single-digit number of accidents, munich paid at least six so far. In stuttgart, the authorities were not initially aware of any incidents. In saxony the scooters operated with electricity play so far hardly a role.
In addition, numerous e-scooter riders have already been fined in cities – often for riding the scooters while drunk, in pairs or on the sidewalk.
Transport association
Kellner of the traffic safety council said the coalition had set itself the goal of reducing the number of fatalities and serious injuries on the roads. In addition to comprehensive intelligence gathering, this also means investing in infrastructure gathering. The roads have to be made safer, there has to be enough space for the vulnerable road users – so safe that it is possible to arrive safely even with e-scooters.
Also a spokeswoman of the ADAC referred to increasing problems with the E-scooters. The automobile club appeals to users to behave responsibly, defensively and with foresight. Riders on e-scooters are "defenceless", in case of crashes and accidents serious injuries can occur. It is important to think about the possible route in advance and to avoid stretches without a cycle path as far as possible.
For the ADAC, the fact that there are rows of drunk driving accidents shows the need for increased awareness: "E-scooters are motor vehicles, and the same strict rules apply as for driving a car."In view of the speed and danger, this is also correct. Used wisely, however, the e-scooters could be a good supplement, especially in the cities.
The ADAC considers it positive that individual rental companies use their apps to provide additional safety information. "The commitment could, however, be much rougher", says the spokeswoman. It is conceivable, for example, that rental companies and manufacturers will offer training courses: "it is in the interest of manufacturers and rental companies that there is no scooter chaos in our cities."