Aļona Zander, the advisor to the Minister of Transport, informed that Jānis Vitenbergs (National Alliance) announced on Tuesday, the 13th of June, the upcoming changes to the Road Traffic Law and Road Traffic Regulations to reduce accidents with electric scooters.
Amendments to the law, which are planned to be approved by the 23rd of June, will provide for stricter requirements regarding the use and parking of these vehicles, as well as harsher penalties for violations.
“If last year in the first five months of the year, 64 people were injured in traffic accidents involving electric scooters, then this year the number exceeds 90. The summer season has begun and it is natural that electric scooters will increasingly fill the city streets, creating dangerous situations both for themselves and for other road users. and also for pedestrians. I would like to thank the colleagues of the Ministry of Transport and the members of the responsible Saeima commission for their active participation in the development of these amendments,” stated Jānis Vitenbergs.
Emphasizing the seriousness of the situation related to electric scooters, the Children’s Clinical University Hospital also sent a letter to the Ministry of Transport. “Electric scooters can cause serious and even irreversible consequences for physical health, about which we have been raising the alarm for a long time at the Children’s Hospital.
We are glad that we have been heard
– changes to the law will be made that will control the safe use of electric scooters, and the CSDD campaign will also start soon, which will highlight how important it is for children to follow the example of adults, both when wearing a helmet and otherwise following the rules of the road and general safety. Recklessness in road traffic is not desirable in any form,” says hospital chief doctor Renāte Snipe.
Presenting the latest statistics in more detail, Aivars Aksenoks, Chairman of the Board of the Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD), highlighted a tendency –
scooter accidents often happen when driving under the influence of alcohol.
“Also, it should be emphasized that the number of accidents among electric scooter drivers is growing rapidly from year to year, and it is already ahead of the number of accidents among cyclists. Special attention should be paid to the fact that this means of transportation is used late in the evening and at night while under the influence of alcohol, therefore the proposal to increase the punishment for driving under the influence is clearly supported. Likewise, mandatory registration of electric scooters will help city municipalities implement control measures to improve traffic safety.”
Amendments to the Road Traffic Law will determine that only registered electric scooters with a specially issued adhesive license plate will be allowed to participate in traffic. Penalties will be increased if the e-scooter driver violates the rules while transporting passengers or cargo. In order to move with an electric scooter, the driver will have to show a license to drive a bicycle or any other category of vehicle, this legal norm will also apply to adults.
The amendments also provide that municipalities will have the right to determine parking prohibition zones for shared vehicles, as well as the participation of these vehicles in traffic will be monitored not only by the state but also by the municipal police. Penalties will also be increased for using smart devices, not following a traffic light signal, not observing the distance, and driving an electric scooter while under the influence of alcohol.
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