In the first three months of this year, 470 people were injured in accidents involving electric scooters in Belgium, an average of more than five a day. Road safety institute Vias is calling for stricter rules and for helmets to be made compulsory on scooters.
Home News
Road safety agency calls for action as e-scooter accidents rise
Published:
The number of accidents in January, February and March year was 61% more than in the same period last year. Flanders recorded 62% more accidents and Brussels 44%, while in Wallonia the figure almost doubled, from 42 to 82.
These figures only include accidents recorded by the police. “In many accidents without another party involved, the injured go straight to hospital,” a Vias spokesperson said. “The total number of accidents is therefore much higher.”
In many accidents without another party involved, the injured go straight to hospital
The institute is calling for measures to be taken to reverse the increase, such as a ban on e-scooters that can travel faster than 25 km/h.
“Certain models, particularly Chinese ones, are extremely popular with young people because of their affordable price and the fact they can reach excessive speeds,” the spokesperson said.
Vias is also calling for faster approval of a system that can accurately measure the speed of electric scooters, as well as stricter standards, especially the size of the wheels.
Helmets and fluorescent jackets should be compulsory for people riding scooters in the evening, it says, quoting a study based on Belgian hospital figures that showed that 60% of seriously injured e-scooter riders suffered serious head injuries.