Portugal is one of six European countries with no minimum age to drive electric scooters. It goes against the recommendations of the European Transport Safety Council, which proposes mandatory safety standards.
In a report on how to improve the road safety of electric scooters, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) indicates that the majority of the 32 European countries analyzed by this entity establish a minimum age for riding an electric scooter.
Em “contrary” are Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Portugal and Sweden which no age restrictions.
ETSC is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries in transport in Europe, of which Portuguese Road Prevention is a part.
The ETSC report also reports that only 10 countries require e-scooter drivers to have some form of insurance, with those being Portugal among one of the countries that does not impose mandatory insurance.
In the document, the European Transport Safety Council proposes the adoption of mandatory safety standards for electric scooters across the European Union, a measure that aims to improve safety on public roads and reduce the number of accidents involving this means of transport.
ETSC Recommendations
According to ETSC, the new standards must include a speed limit mandatory speed of 20 kilometers per hour, as well as minimum stability, braking and acceleration requirements.
ETSC further recommends that EU governments should set a minimum age of 16 years old for electric scooter drivers and implement the mandatory use of helmet.
In a statement, PRP reinforces the importance of these measures proposed by ETSC which aim to “protect users and reduce risky behavior on public roads”, arguing that the driving with alcohol or drugsas well as the transport of passengers, should be prohibitedas suggested in the report and as already happens in Portugal.
Trotientes gain fans in Portugal
The PRP indicates that, in Portugal, the use of electric scooters has been growing, especially in urban areas, and it is increasingly common to see them in city centers.
Data made available in Portugal by the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) indicate that until June this year there were 1,583 accidents involving bicycles, including electric scooters, 2.9% more than in 2023 and 49.2% than in 2019.
According to ANSR, nine people died in the first half this year as a result of bicycle accidents and 68 were seriously injured, a decrease compared to previous years.
The ETSC report indicates, however, that many accidents involve only drivers and are not brought to the attention of the authorities, which can make data collection and, therefore, difficult to understand the real risks involved.
In this sense, the PRP recommends greater coordination between hospital data and police records, as well as their availability to improve the characterization of the problem, analysis and prevention of accidents.
The Highway Code in Portugal equates scooters to bicycleswhich means that the traffic rules are the same, for example, it is prohibited to drive on sidewalks and must travel in the mandatory lanes for bicycles.
PRP allows adjustments
Taking into account the specific characteristics of these vehicles, the PRP considered that “it is important to make adjustments to the regulations that increase the safety of users of these vehicles”, and the EU should also “establish a common standard to guarantee greater uniformity and effectiveness in safety policies in all countries in the region”.
Portuguese Road Prevention also highlights that the speed reduction in urban areas, as suggested by ETSC, it is one “of the best ways to increase the safety of all road users, namely pedestrians, cyclists and scooter drivers”.
According to PRP, in several European cities, such as Helsinki and Oslo, speed limiting on scooters has proven effective in reducing accidents.
Here next door, in Madridrental scooters have recently been prohibitedbecause there is .
But Paris was a pioneer in this decision. In 2023, the French capital voted and was the first major European capital to ban scooters rented through apps.
