• Danger Crashing only at 25 km / h with a scooter causes serious injuries to drivers and pedestrians

  • Mutual Societies Work-related accidents with a bike or scooter have doubled since 2016

  • Rules Scooters, off the sidewalks and no more than 25 km / h

The RACC (Royal Automobile Club of Catalonia) has warned of the

increase in accidents with personal mobility vehicles (VMP) involved in Barcelona, ​​where there were 598 accidents with scooters in 2020

and where 19% of drivers say they drive faster than the allowed when there are no other users on the road.

These are the two main conclusions of the study

"The behaviors of VMP users in Barcelona",

with which they have recommended

lowering the bike lanes to the road to reduce conflicts between cyclists, pedestrians and scooters.

The report, drawn up from 60 surveys and more than 3,000 observations,

the scooter is the only means of transport that has grown in 2020 -17.6% -, but 94% of VMP users do not respect the limit of speed

when traveling on the bike lane on the sidewalk (10 kilometers per hour), while

97% do so when traveling on the bike lanes located on the road (25 kilometers per hour).

MORE THAN 40% DO NOT RESPECT THE REGULATIONS

In addition, 9% of users admit to having the scooter

modified to be able to go more than 25 kilometers per hour,

the maximum speed allowed by the General Directorate of Traffic, and more than 40% do not respect traffic regulations

,

since circulate on the road or sidewalk when there is no bike lane.

These data are added to the fact that 12% of scooter users say they have ever suffered an accident with personal injuries, almost half of which involving cyclists or other VMP, which makes this means of transport the that the accident rate behind motorcycles grows the most.

ACCIDENTALITY IN 2020

In absolute numbers, during the first half of the year there were

334 accidents with VMP in Barcelona, ​​5.3% of the total, above 4.3% in 2020 and 2.7% in 2019

, and although the majority They are minor accidents -collisions (67%) or run over (17%) -, there have also been two deaths so far in 2021.

"It is a very worrying data, because it is close to the accident rate of motorcycles",

point out the researchers, who has attributed this phenomenon to a "cluster of factors", among them the tendency of users to circulate at high speed, the ignorance of the regulations and the use by first-time people who have not driven any other vehicle before.

USER PROFILE: YOUNG AND LOW EXPERT

In fact, the profile of scooter users is that of a

33-year-old person, with a user experience of less than two years, who uses it mainly to go to work, with journeys of less than 5 kilometers,

and who chose by a VMP to go faster than walking and less cost than public transport.

The report also highlights that

51% of users are unaware of the basic aspects of traffic regulations

and that the number of fines has grown from 7 to 13% after having committed offenses such as skipping traffic lights or pedestrian crossings or going against it. management, a behavior that 37%, 22% and 29% of drivers admit to committing, respectively.

Likewise, 42% of the users of scooters that reach 25 kilometers per hour do not use a mandatory helmet and 17% do not use lights.

NECESSARY TRAINING

For all these reasons, the RACC has once again insisted on the importance of imparting some kind of compulsory training to

all users of scooters, including adults and not only in schools:

"We ask that a further step be taken because there are people who do not have why have you gone before in motor vehicles and do not know the regulations ",

They have also recommended,

among others, lowering the bike lanes of the roads to eliminate conflicts between VMP and pedestrians,

simplify the design of the road network so that scooters do not use the sidewalks and promote a registration of this type of vehicles with the objective to minimize the risk of theft and facilitate its recovery.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

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