China Consumers Association issued a consumer warning electric balance car is not a children's toy
Risk of improper use of electric balance car
● At present, the electric balance car that is highly sought after by young people is neither a children’s toy nor a sports equipment. Its product attributes and applicable scenarios lack corresponding specifications, which leads consumers to mistake such products as toys and ignore the risks.
● Younger children are not fully developed in terms of physical coordination and balance function, lack of risk prevention awareness and self-protection ability, accidents are easy to occur during the use of electric balancing vehicles, and accidents may cause irreversible damage. For safety and health considerations, parents are not recommended to purchase and use for younger children
● You can learn from the previous experience of prohibiting motorcycles and electric vehicles, and clarify the safety standards for electric balance vehicles from the source, and require manufacturers to check the safety of products before leaving the factory. At the same time, establish perfect technical regulations, give play to the power of social co-governance, and provide guidelines for ensuring the safe and correct use of electric balance vehicles by consumers
□ Our reporter Hou Jianbin
"If time can come back, I will definitely not give the electric balance car as a gift to my daughter." Now, Mr. Zhang regrets, "I hurt the child."
Unable to withstand the request of his 7-year-old daughter, consumer Mr. Zhang bought a good-selling electric balance car for her daughter before the Spring Festival this year. Unexpectedly, while playing in the community square, her daughter suddenly fell off the balance car, causing a comminuted fracture of her left arm. The injury was equivalent to falling from 3 floors.
Safety incidents caused by electric balancing vehicles are not uncommon. Recently, the China Consumers Association (hereinafter referred to as the China Consumers Association) issued a consumer warning: younger children are not easy to develop due to physical coordination and balance functions, and have insufficient risk prevention awareness and self-protection capabilities. It is easy to use electric balance vehicles in the process An accident occurs, and the accident may cause irreversible damage. For safety and health considerations, parents are not recommended to purchase and use for younger children.
Experts in the industry generally believe that the electric balance car that is currently sought after by young people is neither a children's toy nor a sports equipment. Its product attributes and applicable scenarios lack corresponding specifications, which leads consumers to mistake such products as toys and ignore them. Among the risks. When selling electric balancing vehicles, operators often only pay attention to the convenience and advantages of the products, and there are insufficient risk warnings and protection tips for the products. This is also an important reason for the frequent occurrence of related safety incidents.
"Because the attributes of electric balance vehicles are unclear, there is a lack of targeted supervision, and more chaos is used." Chen Yinjiang, deputy secretary-general of the Consumer Law Protection Research Institute of the Chinese Law Society, told the reporter of the "Legal System Daily" that he can learn from previous prohibitions. The experience of motorcycles and electric vehicles clarifies the safety standards of electric balance vehicles from the source, and requires manufacturers to check the safety of their products. At the same time, establish perfect technical regulations, give play to the power of social co-governance, and provide guidelines for ensuring the safe and correct use of electric balance vehicles by consumers.
Electric balancing car favored
Parents mistaken for toys
In recent years, a new product called the electric balance car has been favored, and there are many minors under the age of 10.
"Legal Daily" reporter recently went to Beijing, Tongzhou District, Beiguan, Chaoyang District, Laiguangying and other communities to find that many parents mistake the electric balance car as a children’s toy, and did not realize its danger, only Some parents refused to buy for the reason that their children were still young.
"Of course toys, because many children are playing." Ms. Li, who lives in Tongzhou, told the "Legal Daily" reporter that her children were more than 6 years old and started to contact electric balance bikes. It didn't take long to learn to ride, but He still fell a few times. Fortunately, he had protective equipment such as knee pads and helmets. The child was not injured.
Another parent believes that electric balance bikes, like roller skates, have become the standard for children. "Small children play roller skates, and older children are playing electric balance cars."
In the vicinity of Laiguangying in Chaoyang District, a reporter from the Legal Daily also saw someone riding an electric balance car on the road. Although most of them were adults, the traffic on the road at night rush hour was a bit shocking.
"Legal Daily" reporters searched on an e-commerce platform using children's electric balance cars as keywords, and found more than 5,800 related products with prices ranging from several hundred yuan to thousands of yuan. Most of the sales pages of electric balance cars are based on teenagers As the protagonist of the character, he even directly described the product as a "smart child" balancing car.
"Although the electric balance car can travel, it is not designed and produced according to toy safety standards, and it is not included in the national toy safety certification, so it is not a children's toy product." Chen Yinjiang told the "Legal Daily" reporter, if the speed of the balance car is too high Fast, it is difficult for consumers, especially children, to control it smoothly, and it is easy to fall due to loss of gravity.
"According to the requirements of "Safety Requirements and Test Methods for Electric Balanced Vehicles", the speed time limit is 20km/h, and the maximum speed is equivalent to the speed of electric bicycles, which is much higher than the safety requirements of toys." Hua Guoyu, Associate Professor, School of Law, People's Public Security University of China It is pointed out that the speed limit of the electric stroller in the national standard "Toy Safety Part 2: Mechanical and Physical Performance" is "maximum speed must not exceed 8km/h". From this point of view, the electric balance car is not designed according to the toy standard.
At the same time, this type of product does not have armrests, the upper body is not fixed, and needs to be adjusted by slight changes in the center of gravity. The stop, advance and turn of the balance car are controlled by the front, back, left and right tilt of the body. "This requires the rider to have a high Ability of body control and balance, it is difficult for younger children to deal with it in an emergency."
In this regard, the relevant person in charge of the China Consumers Association believes that electric balance vehicles are neither children’s toys nor sports equipment. Their product attributes and applicable scenarios lack corresponding specifications, leading consumers to mistake such products for children’s toys. , Ignoring the risks.
Risk warning is seriously insufficient
Easy to induce traffic accidents
On April 16, an accident occurred when a taxi collided with an 8-year-old boy riding an electric balance car in Hefei City, Anhui Province. After being sent to the hospital, the boy had no vital signs.
"The boy was hit a few meters away and was later crushed." According to the driver of the car behind the taxi, when the taxi drove to the T-junction, the boy rode the balance car along the zebra crossing into the auxiliary road, and then collided. .
"The main reason is that the speed is too fast and there is no brake." Chen Yinjiang explained that the electric balance car does not have a brake system, and the brake is only controlled by the center of gravity of the person. If an emergency occurs, it is difficult to brake immediately. Passers-by pose great security risks.
Hua Guoyu said that consumers use the electric balance car itself in an inappropriate way or use the scene, for example, they cannot use the balance car on the street or the road.
"According to the law, electric balance vehicles cannot be driven on the road." Chen Yinjiang said that electric balance vehicles and electric scooters are generally considered to be taxi tools. However, my country's Road Traffic Safety Law clearly stipulates that taxi tools do not have the right of way, and cannot drive on non-motorized lanes, nor can they drive into motorized lanes. Its scope of use is only in closed professional venues and indoor venues. "Its driving on the road not only disturbs the order of road traffic, affects the safety of road traffic, and is prone to induce traffic accidents, but also cannot be protected by laws and regulations after an accident."
Road traffic safety experts admit that electric balancing vehicles have no driving qualification requirements, no steering wheel and manual brakes, high driving speed and low noise, and braking distances are generally too large. When consumers use them on the road, they not only increase their own safety risks, but also give other Drivers and pedestrians pose a safety hazard. Therefore, as a means of transportation, it is currently not recognized by the traffic control department.
"Legal Daily" reporter noted that at present, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan and other places have explicitly banned electric balancing vehicles on the road. Among them, if Beijing stipulates the use of equipment such as balancing vehicles and scooters driven by power devices on the road, the traffic management department of the public security organ may detain the equipment and impose a fine of 200 yuan.
In Shanghai, balancing vehicles and electric scooters are taxi tools that are not allowed to travel on the road, and can only be used in closed communities or places that are not open to the public; using taxi tools on motor vehicle lanes is fined 50 yuan; using taxi tools on non-motor vehicle lanes is fined 20 yuan.
Chen Yinjiang admitted that although many places have clearly banned balancing cars on the road, in reality, they are often dissuaded and criticized for education, and mainly rely on self-restraint. Therefore, the overall implementation effect is not ideal, and it is not uncommon for pedestrians to quickly ride electric balance vehicles on urban roads.
Another phenomenon worth paying attention to is that when the accident happened, many cyclists did not wear any protective gear. Beijing Children’s Hospital Shunyi Women’s and Children’s Hospital official website revealed that one night in May 2020, Dr. Zhu, the general surgeon of the hospital, received four children who were injured by emergency riding on an electric balance bike during the duty, and the youngest was only 4 years old. The oldest is only 10 years old, and no child wears protective equipment.
Hua Guoyu said, "An important reason is that whether the electric balance car is used as a children's toy or a vehicle, the merchants place too much emphasis on its entertainment and convenience when selling, and there is no hint about its risks."
This point can also be confirmed in the complaints and reports received by the China Consumers Association: Many consumers report that when purchasing an electric balance car, the operator has always claimed that the product is easy to operate and safe, and even some products are displayed in advertisements. Cyclists did not wear any safety gear.
Improve product safety standards
Strictly investigate and deal with illegal acts
With the hot sale of electric balancing vehicles, complaints and news reports of accidents in use have occurred from time to time, but their risks have not yet caused widespread concern among consumers, especially not enough attention from parents of minors.
In order to protect the health and safety of consumers and strengthen the supervision of the electric balance car market, the China Consumers Association recently issued a consumer warning: the attributes of electric balance car products are not clear, the risk of improper use is high, and some serious accidents may cause irreversible damage and impact Children's future growth and life. Therefore, for safety and health considerations, parents are not recommended to purchase and use for younger children.
The China Consumers Association believes that electric balancing vehicles cannot be used as means of transportation, nor can they be used for riding in motor vehicle lanes, and can only be used in some dedicated venues or enclosed places. When using it, you should try to choose a place with smooth road surface, no other vehicles and fewer pedestrians to ensure the safety of cyclists and others.
The Consumers Association reminds consumers that when riding an electric balance car, they should pay attention to control the speed and maintain a certain safe distance with others. Whether they are "newbies" or "familiar", they should travel at a slow speed, and must not blindly pursue "flying" General feeling".
At the same time, security protection cannot be ignored. Consumers should wear helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist pads and other protective equipment during each use of the electric balance car to reduce injuries caused by falls. In addition, parents should also bear the responsibility of guardians, do a good job of care and supervision, and promptly stop and correct minors’ wrong driving behavior.
"The supervision and guidance of the design, production and sales of electric balance vehicles should be strengthened." The China Consumers Association called for further clarification of the product attributes of electric balance vehicles and the improvement of the technical requirements and safety standards for electric balance vehicles. The maximum design speed, overspeed protection, low battery protection, slope capacity and protection, charge lock, anti-flying protection and other technical indicators closely related to consumers' personal safety.
How to further standardize the electric balance car? Chen Yinjiang suggested that, drawing on the previous experience of banning motorcycles and banning electric vehicles, first of all, the safety standards of electric balance vehicles should be clarified from the source, and manufacturers should be required to check the safety of products before leaving the factory; Resolutely investigate and punish in accordance with the law; in addition, we must exert social co-governance forces, such as the news media for publicity and guidance, to jointly create a safe and law-abiding traffic environment.
Hua Guoyu also believes that it is necessary to clarify the legal attributes of electric balance vehicles, or classify and design them, and further modify the national standards of technical indicators according to different uses. "If it is a toy, it should be designed according to the technical standards and safety performance of the toy. As a professional taxi tool, it is necessary to clarify the professional conditions and scenarios of its use, and it is forbidden to drive on general roads."
Hua Guoyu suggested that the relevant road traffic safety management laws and regulations should also be followed up in a timely manner and make corresponding provisions. The public security traffic management department should also strengthen management, strictly prohibit the use of electric balance vehicles on the road, and clarify the punishment standards for such acts.
As a new thing, the electric balance car should not be sparse and not blocked. With the widespread use of Internet, artificial intelligence and other technologies in the transportation field, it is not ruled out that after the relevant technical standards are further improved, its function in transportation mobility and manning prospect. Hua Guoyu emphasized, "But at present, just like self-driving cars, it should still be used with caution and strictly managed to avoid the occurrence of related safety accidents."
Cartography / Gao Yue