Riding a Kickboard Without a Helmet Crashes Into Oncoming Vehicle

Fivefold Increase in Related Safety Accidents Over 4 Years
Frequent Cases of Delaying Licenses and Driving

As a video of a teenage youth riding an electric scooter on the road without wearing any safety equipment and causing a traffic accident was released, public anxiety is growing.

On the 22nd, SBS focused on the current status of safety accidents involving shared mobility such as electric scooters. According to the broadcast, safety accidents related to shared mobility have increased fivefold over the past four years, and the number of deaths has tripled.

Two teenagers riding electric scooters without helmets collided with an oncoming vehicle. [Image source=SBS, YouTube 'Han Moon-cheol TV' capture]

In fact, in July 2022 in Changwon, Gyeongnam, an accident occurred where an electric scooter carrying two teenagers passed in front of a car waiting at a signal, crossed the center line, and collided with an oncoming passenger car. One person died as a result of this accident. At the time, the two teenagers riding the scooter were not wearing basic safety equipment such as helmets.

Although awareness of electric scooter safety is increasing, safety issues remain. Last month, in Ilsan Lake Park, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi Province, two high school girls riding electric scooters collided with a couple in their 60s. The wife of the couple passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage nine days after the accident. On the 11th of the same month, in Okcheon-gun, Chungbuk, two middle school students riding electric scooters collided with a car.

Under the current Road Traffic Act, electric scooters can only be ridden by those aged 16 or older who hold a Class 2 motorized device driver's license or higher. This law was revised in 2021; previously, those aged 13 or older could ride without a license. However, since license registration can be delayed, it is common for minors without licenses to ride scooters freely.

Compared to cars, the relatively light penalties are also cited as one of the causes of increased safety accidents. Driving without a license results in a fine of 100,000 won, a fine of 20,000 won is imposed for not wearing a helmet, and a fine of only 40,000 won is imposed for carrying two or more passengers.

Traffic accidents involving personal mobility devices (PM), including electric scooters, were only about 200 cases in 2018, but increased tenfold to 2,386 cases last year, five years later. Among all age groups causing accidents, about half were youths aged 20 or younger.