Electric Scooter Accidents 'Surge'
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "No Legal Enforcement Measures"
Regulatory Bills Pending in National Assembly
Recently, as the use of electric scooters among teenagers has surged, accidents have become frequent, with a major cause being the lack of license verification procedures by shared scooter companies. To use an electric scooter, one must hold at least a Class 2 motorized bicycle license, but since there are no regulations obligating shared scooter companies to verify license possession, teenagers are effectively using shared scooters without any restrictions.
It is known that more than 20 shared scooter rental companies operate nationwide, but since it is a free business that does not require reporting or registration, the government cannot accurately grasp the scale. A Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official said, "There are many companies that rent without license verification, but currently there is no legal basis to regulate this."
In November 2021, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, in consultation with the National Police Agency and the Road Traffic Authority, created a shared scooter driver’s license automatic verification system. Currently, 12 companies participate, and license possession is checked through the system when renting scooters. However, the government estimates that many more companies do not participate.
Under current law, electric scooters can only be operated by those holding at least a Class 2 motorized bicycle license. Penalties include a fine of 100,000 KRW for unlicensed driving, 20,000 KRW for not wearing a helmet, and 40,000 KRW for exceeding the passenger limit. However, it is difficult to enforce electric scooter regulations on the ground. A police official said, "It is different from regular vehicle enforcement," adding, "Since scooters travel at a maximum speed of 25 km/h, moving between sidewalks and roads, forcibly stopping or chasing them could endanger other pedestrians."
There are no regulations to punish rental companies for failing to verify license possession. Two bills titled ‘Act on Safety and Convenience Enhancement of Personal Mobility Devices’ have been proposed in the National Assembly but are still pending. These bills include provisions such as mandatory registration of rental businesses, designation and operation of parking zones with restrictions and prohibitions, mandatory attachment of license plates, and establishment of driver qualification verification systems.
A citizen wearing no protective gear is riding an electric scooter weaving through cars on the Seoul Namsan Circular Road. [Photo by Dongju Yoon]
Accidents involving teenagers on electric scooters continue unabated. On the 16th, a video showing four female students riding on an electric scooter in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do, was posted on YouTube, sparking controversy. Last month, a 1-ton truck overturned while trying to avoid an electric scooter ridden by a female high school student at an intersection in Daedeok-gu, Daejeon. According to the ‘PM Traffic Accident Status in the Last 5 Years’ submitted by the Road Traffic Authority to Rep. Jeong Woo-taek of the People Power Party, related accidents were recorded as 225 in 2018, 447 in 2019, 897 in 2020, 1,735 in 2021, and 2,386 in 2022. As of last year, those aged 20 or younger accounted for the highest number at 1,096 cases.
Professor Kim Pil-su of Daelim University’s Department of Automotive Engineering said, "There are many regulatory cases from advanced countries such as the United States, Japan, and Singapore that we can refer to. There is a need to introduce a ‘Korean-style shared scooter law’ suited to our circumstances," adding, "A system to verify licenses when renting electric scooters must be introduced."
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