The National Police Agency announced on October 29 that it is considering applying the charge of "abetting unlicensed driving" to companies that have been negligent in verifying driver's licenses in relation to unlicensed operation of personal mobility devices (PM) by teenagers.
Last year, there were 19,513 cases of unlicensed operation of personal mobility devices by teenagers, accounting for 55.1% of the total. In addition, among 147 hit-and-run cases, 82 involved teenagers, making up 55.8%.
Currently, on personal mobility device platforms, teenagers can easily sign up for membership using the identification cards of their parents, brothers, or sisters, and rent devices without a separate driver's license verification process. Even if there is a license verification step, it can be bypassed by selecting options such as "verify later."
An official from the National Police Agency stated, "It is extremely dangerous for teenagers to use personal mobility devices without a license, so it is very important for rental companies to establish proper license verification procedures." The official added, "We plan to actively conduct crackdowns on unlicensed driving to encourage teenagers to use transportation safely."
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