The State could quickly seize the issue of personal and self-service electric scooters, through a strong plan that Clément Beaune, Minister of Transport, partially mentioned in the JDD columns.
With every fatal electric scooter accident, national and local newspapers pick up on the issue. In 2022, there were twenty-two deaths related to motorized personal transport vehicles, compared to ten in 2019. That is certainly an increase in three years, which, however, must be put into perspective with the explosion, it is almost a euphemism. practice.
In Paris, self-service electric scooters have become the main target of the City Council, which will officially organize a citizen vote on April 2, 2023 to seal their fate. Unofficially, the city’s elected officials want to outright expel them from the capital, despite the measures and efforts of the operators.
A revised minimum age?
The issue of electric scooters seems to take on a new dimension, since the State also wants to intervene in the file, having recognized EDPMs as a new category of vehicles in 2019. Clément Beaune, Minister of Transport, in the columns of the JDD.
« We need a stronger national framework“, announces, and this in order to “ help certain local authorities who find it difficult to impose strict rules on operators“. And to continue:The State will put the sword on the loins of the operators, because the relaxation has already lasted too long. This will go through an agreement with them, which can be translated into agreements with local authorities.».
Clément Beaune discusses several solutions, starting with the age of the users. At present, electric scooters sold on the market are prohibited for children under 12 years of age. This legal age could rise to 14 or even 16 years. As a reminder, in Lyon and Paris, the use of self-service scooters is prohibited for minors.
For Mr. Beaune, “operators will have to generalize age verification devices“, with the purpose of “to avoid dramas involving young teenagers“. We remind you that this is already the case in the City of Light. Even on the issue of self-service scooters, the state could impose an apparent identification number.
Addition of turn signals
This new procedurefacilitate and strengthen controls“, estimates the Minister of Transport, who also wants”reinforce the visibility elements on the machines, in particular with indicators, the absence of which increases the risk of accident“. The integration of the indicators would be a great idea.
On both scooter and bike, it is imperative to announce your steering intentions. Except on a scooter, the stability of the machine is greatly reduced when you take one hand off the handlebars to stretch to the right or left. Making turn signals mandatory would greatly improve everyone’s safety.
Regarding the parking issue, Clément Beaune would seek to generalize the double crutch –or central crutch– to operators: this idea would serve above all to give more stability to scooters when they are parked in the mandatory spaces. And so no longer find them on the ground, one on top of the other.
No mandatory helmet
In terms of safety, the issue of the helmet is also part of the discussions. Except it wouldn’t be about making it mandatory. “Because for an obligation to be effective, it must be able to be controlled and this would affect an immense number of cases.“, justifies Clément Beaune.
Also, “if you do it for the scooter, consistency demands that you do it for the bike“. However, Mr. Beaune recommends using it: “I insist: wearing a helmet protects us all, it is useful and recommendable».
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