"Determined to Die"... Shock Over Helmetless Kickboard Couple Riding Against Traffic

Seemingly Ignored Safety Regulations Related to Personal Mobility Devices

A video of a 'kickboard couple' blatantly riding against traffic on the road without wearing any protective gear has been released, drawing heavy criticism from netizens.

Recently, a video titled "The most outrageous I've ever seen" was posted on an online community. The video shows an electric kickboard being ridden on a road, with a man and a woman riding together against the flow of traffic.

From the video, it appears that the couple violated almost all safety regulations related to personal mobility devices such as kickboards. They did not wear any protective gear at all and ignored the rule prohibiting passengers.

Couple Driving the Wrong Way on the Road Posted on an Online Community
[Image Source=Captured from Online Community]

Netizens who saw the video poured out criticism, saying things like, "It seems like they are just asking for an accident," "I don't understand what they were thinking to do something like that," "They are a nuisance to drivers," "It looks like they want to go to the grave," and "Kickboard regulations should be strengthened and strict punishment imposed."

The fatality rate of electric kickboard traffic accidents has been found to be much higher than that of general traffic accidents. According to data from the Korea Road Traffic Authority's Traffic Accident Analysis System, 24 people died and 2,622 were injured in personal mobility device traffic accidents last year. In the previous year, 2022, there were 2,386 accidents resulting in 26 deaths and 2,684 injuries, showing a similar level.

The fatality rate, which indicates the number of deaths per 100 cases, is very high at 5.6%. Last year, the overall traffic accident fatality rate was 1.3%, meaning the fatality rate for electric kickboard accidents was 4.3 times higher.

In particular, the rate of collisions between vehicles and pedestrians accounted for about 46% of all traffic accidents, nearly half. This is largely due to many personal mobility device users violating traffic rules while traveling. Additionally, personal mobility devices lack separate safety equipment to protect the body from external impacts, increasing the risk of fatal injuries.

According to current safety regulations, personal mobility devices can only be operated by holders of a motorized bicycle license, Class 2 small vehicle license, or Class 1 or 2 regular driver's license. Also, wearing a helmet is mandatory during operation, and users must use bicycle lanes or the right edge of the roadway. The passenger capacity of electric kickboards is limited to one person, and riding with two or more people is prohibited.