Electric kickboards, which were only available on the roadway, will be available on the bicycle road from next month, raising controversy over the safety of electric kickboards.
Concerns that electric kickboards invade sidewalks and threaten the safety of pedestrians, and as there are frequent accidents that electric kickboard users are hit by cars, opinions are confronting that it is necessary to prevent this.
The amendment to the Road Traffic Act that permits the use of electric scooters on bicycle roads will take effect on December 10th.
According to the amendment, if the maximum speed is less than 25 km/h and the total weight is less than 30 kg, like an electric kickboard among motorized bicycles, it is classified as a personal mobility device and managed in the same category as the bicycle.
As a result, electric kickboards can be operated on bicycle roads, freeing from the regulations that had to travel only on existing roadways.
In addition, the age at which electric kickboards can be used has been lowered from 16 to 13 years of age, and driving is allowed even for unlicensed people.
In addition, fines are not imposed even if you do not wear safety equipment such as a helmet.
There are voices of pros and cons about the deregulation of electric kickboards.
Opponents of deregulation argue that the safety of pedestrians will be threatened as most of the bike paths are facing sidewalks.
On the other hand, there is a series of accidents in which electric kickboard users on the road are hit by cars, and there is a lot of hope that this action will reduce the accidents of electric kickboard users.
"If electric kickboards are allowed to operate on bicycle roads, regulations to prevent related accidents should be strengthened," said Pilsoo Kim, a professor at the Department of Motor Vehicles at Daelim University. "We have to come up with a separate kickboard safety bill."