The Federal Transport Minister Jean-Luc Crucke (Francophone centrist) has said in a newspaper interview that he wants to make it compulsory for e-scooter riders to wear crash helmets. In the interview with the daily ‘De Morgen’, Mr Crucke also says that e-scooters should have numberplates. Recent figures from the Institute for Road Safety Vias show that the number of accidents involving e-scooters has risen sharply.
Both the Federal Transport Minister and Vias’ Stef Willems say that serious injuries resulting from accidents involving e-scooters are more common than among people involved in bicycle accidents. Vias is very pleased with Mr Crucke’s proposals to make the wearing of crash helmets compulsory for e-scooter riders and to introduce number plates for electric scooters. The Federal Transport Minister intends to draft a bill containing the measures and put it before parliament as quickly as possible.
Mr Crucke hopes that crash helmets will be compulsory for e-scooter riders from January next year. “To my mind, it's similar to the story of seat belts in cars. At first, compulsory helmet use for e-scooters will meet with some resistance, but within a few years everyone with take it for granted”, Mr Crucke said.
He also believes that the introduction of numberplates for e-scooters is important. “Because so many people ride them without us being able to identify them, but also because it is a safety measure. For example, some e-scooters imported from China do not comply with safety regulations. They are not actually permitted to be on the road, but they are still being ridden”.
The Federal Transport Minister believes that it will take longer to introduce number plates for e-scooters than it will to make the wearing of crash helmets mandatory for their riders.