On Thursday, the 25th of May, Latvia’s Saeima passed in the second reading amendments to the Road Traffic Law, which provide, among other things, harsher penalties and new duties for electric scooter enthusiasts, cyclists and rickshaw drivers.
The parliament will need to decide on amendments in the final reading.
Previously the Economic, Agricultural, Environmental and Regional Policy Committee supported the proposal to make it a requirement for electric scooter enthusiasts to have a state registration plate, but the Saeima rejected it in the end.
At the same time
amendments provide for mandatory registration of electric scooters and rickshaws. Registration for bicycles is planned to be voluntary.
It is planned to increase the fine for drunk driving for electric scooter enthusiasts. The parliament also plans to increase the maximum penalty for cyclists and electric scooter enthusiasts for other violations.
It is also planned to make it so that rickshaws are allowed to be driven only by persons that have reached the age of 19 and have a bicycle or any vehicle driver’s licence.
Driving a rickshaw without a driver’s licence will be punishable with a fine equal to five penalty units.
Penalties will be increased for other traffic participants for various violations. For not giving way to pedestrians crossing the carriageway at a pedestrian crossing, or blind pedestrians who show a signal with a white cane, it is planned to impose a penalty on drivers of vehicles up to EUR 140, according to the amendments to the Road Traffic Law passed in the second reading.
At the moment the law provides a fine between EUR 15 and EUR 70 for these violations.
For cyclists who do not give way to pedestrians, the penalty is planned to be set between EUR 10 and EUR 30.
Amendments provide for increasing the penalty for not maintaining safe distance: a warning or fine between EUR 10 and EUR 70 for cyclists or electric scooter enthusiasts. For drivers of other vehicles the penalty is planned to be a warning or a fine between EUR 10 to EUR 140.
It is planned so that vehicles will be allowed to be towed to a special parking place if the vehicle is completely or partially left on a walkway, pedestrian road, bicycle road and if pedestrians from freely moving around or are forced to walk on the driveway as a result.
Saeima deputies also supported the proposal to no longer use a warning as a penalty for not using seat-belts and for carrying a passenger who is not using a seat-belt or a helmet. Such violations will be punishable with a fine between EUR 30 to EUR 70.
Saeima passed in the second reading amendments that change technical inspection rules for mechanical vehicles and trailers.
Amendments state that new and previously imported vehicles from foreign countries are to undergo the first technical inspection after 36 months. The second and third technical inspections for these vehicles are to be performed every two years. All following inspections are to be performed once every year.
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