High Speed and Difficult Sudden Braking Increase Accident Risk
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] On the 25th at around 8:35 PM, a Sonata passenger car making a left turn collided with an electric kickboard at an intersection near an apartment complex in Naedong, Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam Province. At the time of the accident, the electric kickboard driver, Mr. A, was confirmed to have a blood alcohol concentration corresponding to a level subject to criminal charges. As a result of the accident, Mr. A and Mr. B, who was riding the kickboard with him, sustained injuries to their heads and other areas. The police are checking whether they were wearing helmets and other safety equipment and are considering whether to impose only fines or to proceed with criminal charges.
As the use of electric kickboards, considered a future mobility option, increases, damage caused by accidents is rapidly rising. Electric kickboards, along with electric bicycles and electric wheels, are classified as 'Personal Mobility (PM)' devices. Due to their high speed and difficulty in control during sudden braking, they tend to cause relatively significant damage.
According to the insurance industry on the 27th, due to amendments in the Road Traffic Act, since December last year, anyone aged 13 or older can ride an electric kickboard without a license. They are allowed to use bicycle lanes, and where bicycle lanes are not installed, they may travel on the right edge of the road.
Although riding on sidewalks is prohibited, these regulations are not yet well observed. Concerns about accidents involving cars and pedestrians are increasing due to riding on roads without helmets or safety gear or riding on sidewalks.
Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, which sells kickboard-specific insurance, analyzed accident data from PM insurance and automobile insurance and found that the average compensation payment for third-party liability in kickboard insurance reached 1.11 million KRW.
For bicycles, the third-party liability amount was 910,000 KRW, indicating that kickboards cause relatively greater harm to others. This is because kickboards can accelerate instantly and have longer braking distances, resulting in collisions at higher speeds during accidents compared to bicycles.
In particular, since road travel is allowed, many accidents occur with cars. According to a survey conducted by Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance’s Traffic Climate Environment Research Institute targeting PM users, 7.5% of users had experienced accidents, and 40.0% of the opposing vehicles involved were cars, the highest proportion.
However, with the re-amendment of the Road Traffic Act, from April onward, to ride an electric kickboard, one must possess a motorized bicycle license (available from age 16) or higher. If two people ride on one kickboard or if helmets are not worn, a fine of up to 200,000 KRW will be imposed.
Although regulations on kickboard users have been strengthened due to stricter laws, voices in the insurance industry are calling for mandatory kickboard insurance. Hwang Hyun-ah, a research fellow at the Korea Insurance Research Institute, pointed out, "The performance and accident risk of kickboards are similar to bicycles, but the risk of pedestrian accidents is higher," adding, "There is a need to introduce a compulsory insurance system that can sufficiently protect pedestrians and kickboard riders."
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