The Safety Blind spot of Electricity Mobility
The Safety Blind spot of Electricity Mobility
  • Reporter Lee Mi-yeon
  • 승인 2018.10.10 17:59
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Users who are not familiar with regulations due to weak regulations
Users who are not familiar with regulations due to weak regulations

 

People can easily see electric scooter users on and off campus. As demand for electric scooter increased, accidents also occurred more frequently. According to the insurance company and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the number of accidents involving personal mobility has increased fivefold in three years. The number increased from 40 in 2014 to 193 in 2017. There were 117 fatal accidents last year, four dead and 124 injured. Electric scooter requires a bicycle license or a driver’s license. People may obtain the license from age of 16 or older. However, it is difficult to crack down because there is no license plate for personal mobility. The electric scooter, which threatens the safety of pedestrians, is also threatening the safety of users. Under the Road Traffic Act, they have no choice but to use the road if they want to legally use their vehicles. Roads are so dangerous that users claim that they must be able to use bicycle paths. Motorists are also complaining. They said that many electric scooter users run between cars, perform dangerous acts and surprise them by appearing suddenly on curves. 


With the activation of personal mobility, policies that are compatible with this situation are needed. In other countries, where personal mobility has become popular, policies are implemented that are compatible with the state of affairs. the Australian state of Queensland restricts the user’s age to above 12 and they should not travel speed to 12kph. Riders also required to wear approved bicycle helmets that are securely fitted, ride left on paths and give way to pedestrians. The Netherlands has allowed to operate them on roads with insurance. Starting in 2009, Germany has newly licensed personal means of transportation that allow people to drive on bike paths and roads.  


The only vehicle in South Korea that is currently legally recognized is electric bicycles. In the case of them, the Act on Activating the Utilization of Bicycles was revised, and the bicycle paths became available from March 22. However, there is no legal system for electric mobility devices other than electric bicycles. Experts say authorities should legislate clear driving rules for personal mobility users. In addition, the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises and Startups argued the central government to create measures for users, manufacturers and sellers, and to take into consideration consumer feedback to support personal mobility as next-generation transportation devices. In order to solve safety problems and promote manufacturing and rental services, the government will set up a standard for personal mobility by June next year at the latest. 


Experts said that it is most reasonable to create a ‘third road’ that allows personal mobility to pass through because it is fast enough to use the pavement. According to the statistic, the ratio of serious injuries to these transportation accidents was 10.8 percent, four times more than the ratio of normal car accidents. Related laws and systems should be revised realisticly as soon as possible to reduce the risk of accidents and ensure safe driving.