Road Traffic Act Regulations on Electric Kickboards Relaxed → Strengthened
Strengthening Law Revised Again Before Relaxation Law Takes Effect
Civilians "Confused by Reversal... Please Deliberate Carefully"
On the 3rd, a full meeting of the Administrative Safety Committee was held at the National Assembly. Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kim Young-eun] Accidents related to electric kickboards, also called 'Kickrani' because they suddenly dart onto the road like a water deer, continue to occur, raising ongoing safety concerns. The National Assembly is revising the Road Traffic Act and establishing related systems, but as the permissible riding age keeps changing with continuous amendments to the bill, there are concerns about confusion.
Accidents involving electric kickboards and other 'Personal Mobility (PM)' devices are incessant. Last month in Incheon, two high school students riding a single electric kickboard without helmets collided with a taxi, resulting in the death of one rider in front and serious injury to the other.
Also, on the 21st of last month, in an alley in Seocho-gu, Seoul, two middle school students riding one electric kickboard hit a high school student walking on the street, and on the 2nd, a man in his 40s riding an electric kickboard on the Seoul Nambu Beltway died after colliding with a motorcycle that violated a traffic signal.
On April 12th, a shared electric scooter collided with a vehicle on a road in Haeundae-gu, Busan. The scooter rider died in the accident. Photo by Yonhap News
Given this situation, the National Assembly is amending related laws to reduce safety accidents. The problem is that as the amended laws are revised again and their contents change, there are complaints from the field that they do not know which rules to follow.
On the 3rd, the National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee passed an amendment to the Road Traffic Act to strengthen regulations, requiring a motorized bicycle license or higher to operate electric kickboards. According to the amendment, those under 16 years old, who cannot obtain a motorized bicycle license, are restricted from riding.
Additionally, the amendment includes provisions for penalties such as fines for cases including ▲failure of driver or passenger to wear safety gear ▲exceeding the passenger capacity ▲failure to use lights or reflective devices at night ▲driving under the influence of drugs or other impairing substances.
However, according to the Road Traffic Act amendment passed by the National Assembly in May, starting from the 10th of this month, those aged 13 and older can use electric kickboards without a driver's license, thus easing regulations. Yet, seven months after that amendment, the law, which has not even been implemented yet, was amended again. In other words, the amendment allowing those aged 13 and older to operate PM without a license was overturned before it even took effect.
As a result, there are criticisms that the National Assembly is causing confusion among citizens by changing laws that have not yet been implemented. Moreover, there are opinions within the National Assembly to establish a dedicated PM driver's license, suggesting that further amendments may follow.
Furthermore, the recently passed Road Traffic Act amendment will not be implemented immediately, so there will be a gap for the time being. Even after the amendment passes, it will be enforced only after a four-month grace period following the Cabinet meeting's resolution and promulgation.
Because of this, there are complaints from the field that they do not actually know which law is currently in effect. Mr. Lee, a man in his 40s who said he regularly uses kickboards, said, "Since the related laws keep changing, I don't know what to do," and added, "I hope a reasonable amendment is made after gathering public opinion."
Mr. Park, a company employee in his 30s, said, "I hope the law is amended after sufficient public hearings," and pointed out, "If there is urgency due to safety concerns, at least the parts related to the kickboard usage age should be amended first to reduce accidents."
Meanwhile, according to the number of PM-related traffic accidents announced by the National Police Agency on the 24th of last month, there were 117 cases in 2017, 225 in 2018, and a whopping 447 last year, nearly quadrupling in two years.
The number of deaths also doubled from 4 in both 2017 and 2018 to 8 in 2019, and the number of injuries increased annually from 124 in 2017, 238 in 2018, to 473 in 2019.
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