30s Fined for Causing Death of 60s Pedestrian While Riding Electric Kickboard

Fine of 10 Million Won Imposed for Traffic Accident Charges
"Occurred with Partial Fault of the Victim"

A man in his 30s who struck and killed a pedestrian in his 60s while riding an electric scooter on a riverside bike path in the city was fined in the first trial.

According to the legal community on the 21st, Judge Lee Jae-hyun of Criminal Division 19 at Suwon District Court sentenced Mr. A, who was tried for violating the Special Act on the Treatment of Traffic Accidents (causing death), to a fine of 10 million won.

A citizen is riding an electric bicycle near Mapo Station in Seoul. This is a stock photo unrelated to the article content. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Last August, Mr. A was riding an electric scooter downhill on a riverside bike path in Gyeonggi Province when he collided with Mr. B, a pedestrian in his 60s coming from the opposite direction, causing him to fall. Mr. B, who was taken to the hospital for treatment, died four days later from traumatic subdural hemorrhage.

At the time of the accident, Mr. A shouted at Mr. B to move aside, but Mr. B, who was looking at his cellphone, did not notice Mr. A and was unable to avoid the collision.

The judge found that Mr. A neglected his duty of care to reduce speed and carefully check ahead and to the sides to prevent accidents.

The judge added, "This crime resulted in the serious consequence of the victim's death. However, this accident occurred due to a combination of the defendant's professional negligence and partial fault of the victim, which is a circumstance somewhat worthy of consideration, and the defendant has reached a settlement with the bereaved family."

Recently, personal mobility devices (PM) such as electric scooters and electric bicycles have become established as new means of transportation, with an increasing proportion of users in their 20s to 40s using electric scooters for commuting.

Regarding the increase in safety accidents related to this, Kim Sang-tae, a member of the Ulsan Buk-gu Council, proposed the establishment of a system to foster a safe usage culture.

According to data presented by Councilor Kim, the number of PMs nationwide increased from 60,000 in 2016 to 200,000 in 2022. Statistics received from the Ulsan Police Agency show that there were 33 electric scooter-related accidents in 2022.

Councilor Kim suggested measures to reduce casualties, including △enacting ordinances specifying management details such as prohibiting unauthorized parking △strengthening regulations on violations such as not wearing helmets, carrying more than one person, and driving without a license △expanding infrastructure such as dedicated parking lots △and enhancing publicity and education to prevent safety accidents.