E-scooters have become an integral part of urban mobility. But the boom also has a dark side: in 2022 four people died in accidents, 3,600 ended up in hospital and there were also problems with scooters lying around. Traffic experts and insurance companies are advocating equipping vehicles with turn signals, horns and brakes, and discussing mandatory helmets and insurance. Meanwhile, Linz wants to put an end to criss-cross parking with technical upgrades.
In Austria, e-scooters are legally standardized as bicycles – unlike in the Netherlands, for example, where they are considered mopeds. Othmar Nagl, president of the Institute for Insurance Economics, criticized at a conference press conference on Wednesday that there are currently no regulations on how to equip the scooters. “Giving hand signals is a big challenge”, he knows from his own experience as a scooter user. Road safety experts as insurers would second brakea Flashing and a mandatory one dome or horn as the case may be, also one Helmet obligation considered reasonable.
Two main causes of accidents
Because the rise of e-scooters is also reflected in the accident statistics: According to forecasts by the Austrian Road Safety Council (KfV), there were about 1,300 accidents in Austria in 2020 with injuries requiring hospital treatment, about 2,700 in 2021 and 3,600 in the in 2022. Also in 2022 four deaths were counted. The causes of accidents are usually carelessness and overconfidence. 25 percent of the accidents happen on the road, a third on sidewalks, where you are actually not allowed to drive. Helmets aren’t particularly common either: only 17 percent would wear one, and only one percent among scooter riders, KfV director Christian Schimanofsky calculated.
In Linz, three companies currently offer e-scooters for rent. In high season, there are about 1,500 of these scooters on the road in the city area, according to traffic police officer and deputy mayor Martin Hajart (ÖVP). In comparison, there are about 400 rental bicycles at public stations. In Linz, too, standing or lying e-scooters always cause a nuisance. Few people are aware that they cannot park on the sidewalk until it is at least 2.5 meters wide.
Linz tightens rules for e-scooters
The provincial capital of Upper Austria initially responded with a code of conduct, and now they want to tighten it up. In the press conference, Hajart outlined the cornerstones of the new concept, which will be presented next week: In the future, there will be about 100 stations where scooters can be rented and also have to be returned. It is possible to program the scooters so that their location can be reduced to an accuracy of 20 centimeters. If the scooter is not in the right place, the rental costs will continue – just like with rental bicycles.
From now on, only walk the last meters
The disadvantage for users is obvious: in the future you will have to walk the “last mile”, for example, to your home. Scooters lying around are finally a thing of the past and no longer pose a safety risk. Banning e-scooters completely, as Paris plans to do, would envisage “a capitulation of the city,” Hajart says, but rules are needed. “Cars were not banned because there were many accidents, but seat belts were mandatory.” He also wants to expand the rental of e-scooters in Linz in the east and south of the city. Linz is thus taking a similar path to Vienna, which is not completely ending rental scooters either, but wants to keep them in check better.
“Heavy Impact” from “Insurance Gap”
In addition to traffic planning aspects, the insurers also see “a certain insurance gap” with the e-scooters, says Doris Wendler, CEO of Wiener Städtische. Because there is no statutory insurance obligation – at least not as long as the vehicle does not exceed 25 km/h and has no more than 600 watts. Statutory accident insurance does not apply to the private sector, nor to people who are not employed. “Very few are aware that leisure accidents can have serious consequences,” Nagl warned.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
