Electric scooters: a minimum age of 14 years and fines of 135 euros

Europe 1 with AFP 09:55, March 29, 2023

The minimum age to drive an electric scooter will be raised from 12 to 14 years and fines will be greatly increased, announced to the newspaper 20 Minutes the Minister of Transport Clément Beaune, who presents Wednesday a plan to regulate the use of these machines on public roads.

Fines will increase from €35 to €135

The fines will increase from 35 to 135 euros to punish two-person traffic on a machine or on prohibited lanes. "We know that in one accident out of five, the users were two on the machine, it is important to make it clear that it is not a toy," explains Clément Beaune to the daily.

Wearing a helmet is not mandatory but recommended

As for the mandatory wearing of helmets, "the reflection remains open: for the moment, we have chosen not to impose it but it is strongly recommended and our communication campaigns will repeat it," added Clément Beaune.

Maintenance or prohibition of self-service scooters in Paris?

The announcement of this plan comes as the mayor of Paris consults Sunday its citizens about the maintenance or prohibition of self-service scooters in the capital. "I've been doing this work since the autumn (...) it is important to set a national framework, "challenged Clément Beaune Wednesday morning on Europe 1, criticizing the initiative of the mayor of Paris.

>> READ ALSO - Bordeaux: the measures taken by the city to regulate self-service scooters

Paris MP Clément Beaune stressed that he had "not many doubts about the outcome of this referendum". "There is zero information, the arguments could not be expressed, there is only one polling station per district. I regret that this subject is binary," the minister said.

"This is an important consultation that will be watched by many other cities in France and abroad. I regret that this debate has been caricatured and simplified (...) Instead of doing for or against, we can do for, with rules," said Clément Beaune.

A micromobility observatory planned

The plan also provides for the creation of a micromobility observatory and a charter of commitment that operators will have to sign on Wednesday (user safety, work on the life of batteries of a minimum of five years, mandatory recycling in France ...).

"We will develop prevention campaigns on risks in particular," explains the minister, adding that an "observatory", "bringing together members of all sides, political, associative and professional, will produce objective knowledge on the use of electric scooters in France", with figures on accidentology, elements on the causes of accidents or on the environmental benefits of scooters.