High Speed and Sudden Braking Difficulty Increase Accident Risk
[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] On the evening of 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 rider, 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 head and other injuries. The police are checking whether they were wearing helmets and other safety gear and are considering whether to impose only fines or to proceed with criminal charges.
As the use of electric kickboards, considered a future mode of transportation, increases, the number of accidents and related damages 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 controlling sudden braking, they tend to cause relatively severe damage.
According to the insurance industry on the 27th, due to amendments to 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 in reality. Riding on the road without helmets or safety gear, or riding on sidewalks, raises concerns about accidents involving cars and pedestrians.
Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, which sells dedicated kickboard insurance, analyzed accident data comparing PM insurance and automobile insurance. The average compensation paid for third-party liability under 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 attributed to their ability to accelerate instantly and the longer braking distance, resulting in collisions at higher speeds during accidents compared to bicycles.
Especially since road travel is permitted, many accidents with cars occur. A survey conducted by Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance’s Traffic, Climate, and Environment Research Institute targeting PM users found that 7.5% of users had experienced accidents, with 40.0% of those involving cars as the other party, the highest proportion.
"Utilize Local Government Safety Insurance Like Bicycle Insurance"
However, with the re-amendment of the Road Traffic Act, from April onward, riding an electric kickboard will require a motorized bicycle license (obtainable 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 by law, voices from 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."
Previously, the Financial Supervisory Service revised the standard automobile insurance terms to allow coverage for injuries caused by electric kickboards through the automobile insurance of the victim or their family. However, this shifts the burden to victims without liability and insurance companies, and if the victim or their family is not enrolled in automobile insurance, there is no way to receive compensation.
Choi Mi-kyung, a legislative researcher at the National Assembly Legislative Research Office, suggested, "One way to resolve compensation issues in electric kickboard accidents could be for local governments to utilize related insurance systems such as citizen safety insurance7), which they subscribe to independently, or bicycle insurance."
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