Do you know the electric kickboard rules?
license?
what about the helmet?
October 18, 20:35
electric kickboard.
Have you ever ridden one?
Some people get in danger if they ride a kickboard.
And the rules are complicated.
What should I do to ride safely?
(Kazuro Fukuda, Shintaro Senda, Keisuke Matsubara, Network News Department, Osaka Broadcasting Station)
Rapid increase in electric kickboards
An electric scooter is a vehicle that rides on a board with two wheels and a handle, and runs by operating the accelerator and brakes.
As a convenient means of transportation, it is spreading mainly in urban areas such as Tokyo and Osaka.
When I asked in the city of Osaka whether I had used it before...
Male office worker in his 30s
"Today was my first time riding. It's very convenient, and I think it's great because I can find shops that I wouldn't notice if I was driving."
18-year-old female student
: “You run a lot in Osaka.
What is an electric kickboard?
Electric scooters are considered vehicles under the Road Traffic Act.
Therefore, a driver's license is required to drive on public roads.
Licenses differ depending on the performance of the kickboard, and ▽ those with a maximum speed of 30 km/h or less are mopeds, and ▽ those with a maximum speed of over 30 km are motorcycles.
Since it is treated as a vehicle, it is necessary to install a license plate, blinker, mirror, etc.
When driving, please keep to the left and do not ride on sidewalks.
Also, you must wear a helmet.
On the other hand, recently, rental electric kick boats that are often seen in the city are handled differently.
Since April last year, a government-approved business operator has been renting out cars in the city as a demonstration experiment, and the maximum speed is 15 km or less.
It is treated as a small special vehicle and can be driven with a normal vehicle or motorcycle license.
You can run on bicycle lanes, etc., and wearing a helmet is optional.
Today, it has spread to 19 prefectures nationwide as a means of daily transportation that supplements public transportation and as a new means of transportation for sightseeing in the region.
A man who had an accident with an electric scooter?
On the other hand, accidents are also increasing.
A man in his 30s in Saitama Prefecture usually shot videos while driving.
It's been about three months since he bought an electric scooter and started riding it.
In April of this year, I had an accident that collided with a light wagon.
When the man tried to go straight through the intersection, a light wagon car turned right from the oncoming lane.
He applied the brakes, but he could not avoid it and fell.
A man who fell on a kickboard
"The impact of the collision caused my body to rotate and I fell, but I didn't remember how I fell. I was running a little further ahead when I was hit from the front and a car hit me. I think it was a scary accident because there was a possibility that I was trapped under it.”
After experiencing the accident, the man feels that "it's easy to ride, but it's not easy to drive well."
Electric kickboards are easily affected by the road surface, and it is said that it is necessary to get used to riding in a stable posture and applying the brakes smoothly.
He points out that it is necessary to share how to ride safely because it is a convenient and fun ride.
A man who fell on a scooter
``Now that I have experience driving, I think I applied the brakes a little too late. I think there are more than a few people who ride with a feeling.It is necessary for them to learn more about the correct way to ride, but at present there are no such opportunities.”
According to the National Police Agency, the number of electric scooter accidents increased from 4 last year to 27 last year.
Nine incidents have occurred in the three months until March this year.
The first fatal accident occurred in Tokyo last month.
According to police, a man in his 50s who was riding an electric scooter in the parking lot of an apartment building collided with a bollard.
He fell and hit his head hard.
Since it was an electric kickboard for demonstration experiments, there was no obligation to wear a helmet, and men did not wear helmets.
Police step up crackdown
Driving without proper manners is also a problem.
The number of arrests from September last year to March this year was 265 nationwide.
The breakdown is ▼ 164 cases (62%) for “traffic classification” such as driving on an impassable sidewalk ▼ 28 cases (11%) for ignoring traffic lights ▼ 22 cases (8%) for not stopping temporarily ▼ 13 cases for poor maintenance (5%) ▼ Others are 38 (14%).
In addition, drunk driving is on the rise.
In Tokyo, it is said that 39 cases have been arrested by the end of last month.
In Osaka, on the night of the 13th of this month, electric kickboards were cracked down in 11 places, including downtown Osaka.
Although there were no arrests for drunk driving, there were 44 violations such as not wearing mirrors and running on the sidewalk.
Osaka Prefectural Police Traffic Guidance Division Manager Takashi Inazumi
"Electric kickboards are also cars, so please follow the rules and use them safely."
Possibility of becoming a victim
There is also the risk of hurting people.
The Accident Analysis Technology Research Institute, which conducts appraisals of traffic accidents, has created and released a video that simulates the situation when an electric kickboard and a person collide.
It is assumed that an electric scooter running at 19 kilometers per hour hits a pedestrian.
When a kickboard hits the pedestrian, the pedestrian falls violently and hits the ground hard.
The impact is even greater as the driver falls over and covers the pedestrian.
Mr. Kaoru Aimi, Accident Analysis Technology Research Institute,
"There are people who do not follow the rules, such as drunk driving and running on the sidewalk, and they are seen lightly as vehicles, but because they go at a certain speed, serious accidents will increase in the future. I bought it myself and tried it out, but I felt that it was an unstable vehicle that would wobble just by moving forward.”
In addition, we call on drivers to wear helmets because there is a risk of serious injury to drivers when they fall.
Mr. Kaoru Aimi, Accident Analysis Technology Research Institute,
"If you ride in a standing position and your head is in a high position, and if you fall and hit your head, the driver will be seriously injured, so wearing a helmet is not optional. I would like to have it.Since the tires are small, it easily falls over even on a step in the city, and I myself almost fell because I couldn't climb over the step.After giving the driver the necessary safety education, the electric kick It is important to understand the structure of the board and how to drive it before riding.”
changing traffic rules
Traffic rules are also being reviewed due to the spread of use as an easy and convenient means of transportation.
By revising the Road Traffic Act, electric scooters with a body length of 1 meter 90 cm and a width of 60 cm and a maximum speed of 20 km/h or less will be positioned as "specified small motorized bicycles."
Although the age limit is set and driving under the age of 16 is prohibited, a driver's license is not required.
In addition to the roadway, it will be possible to run on bicycle lanes and bicycle paths.
In principle, walking on the sidewalk is prohibited, but exceptions are allowed if certain conditions are met, such as being able to control the maximum speed up to 6 kilometers per hour.
Wearing a helmet is a mandatory requirement.
The revised Road Traffic Law is to come into force by April 2024.
Discussions about safety are continuing, and we will continue to consider matters such as the mandatory use of driver's licenses and helmets.
I want you to ride safely The safety measures of the industry group are...
Businesses are also focusing on measures to ensure that users can use them safely.
Of these, LUUP, which provides an electric scooter sharing service in Tokyo, Osaka, etc., has ▽ to have a driver's license registered, ▽ to take a road traffic law test in advance and have all questions answered correctly, ▽ to ride. We are working to encourage users to drive safely by displaying a confirmation screen for safety rules every time.
In order to prevent drunk driving, we have started calling for drunk driving prevention at places where there are many nighttime users, mainly on weekends.
Groups made up of electric scooter operators want to make traffic rules known again.
Executive Director Jojo, Micromobility Promotion Council
“There are still people who do not understand the rules correctly, so we would like to work together with other companies in the industry, related government agencies, and the police to develop effective measures. I think it will be a very useful vehicle in places where public transportation is not well-served, as long as you follow the rules in a safe and secure manner.”
A convenient new means of transportation.
I (Chida) also use it often when I go out on holidays.
I would like you to follow the correct rules and manners and use it safely.