The Italian government has announced restrictions on the use of electric scooters on city streets to reduce the number of accidents, writes Reuters.
Changes to Italian road rules announced by the government will also allow drivers caught using a mobile phone to be temporarily disqualified.
As in many other European countries, the number of electric scooters on the streets has increased rapidly in Italy in recent years, and they are popular among tourists and locals.
However, the number of accident reports received by the police is also increasing,
with six deaths related to electric scooter accidents reported in Rome alone in the past two years.
Electric scooters also cause problems for pedestrians.
The new rules state that electric scooter drivers will be required to wear helmets and will also need insurance, while scooters will need registration plates. The rules still need to be approved by parliament. Electric scooters also should be placed in such a way that the vehicles don’t interfere with or pose a risk to pedestrians.
After announcing the planned changes, Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said that order should be restored on the streets and pavements must be prevented from turning into obstacle courses.
In spite of the possibility of environmentally friendly transportation,
electric scooters have received a lot of anger from people who see silent devices as a threat.
Parisians voted in April to ban electric scooters in the city. So far, no similar proposals have been made in Italy, but several cities are considering setting speed limits and limiting the number of rental companies.
Read also: Paris to ban shared electric scooters from city streets