E-scooter impoundment decree heads for consultation after rise in serious accidents

Nicosia, Cyprus. A decree allowing police to impound e-scooters involved in traffic violations is heading for public consultation as serious accidents continue to rise despite tougher legislation introduced earlier this year.

Before parliament was dissolved ahead of May’s elections, MPs approved measures raising the minimum age for e-scooter use to 17.

Revised legislation

The legislation introduced penalties for adults who allow underage individuals to use e-scooters and for riders carrying passengers below the legal age.

Additional provisions require scooters to comply with European safety standards and display the appropriate certification markings.

The revised rules also raised the speed threshold for penalties from 20 kilometres per hour to 25 kilometres per hour.

Police were given the power to detain scooters in cases of violations, pending the decree. Since then, however, the situation has remained out of control.

Serious injuries and deaths

Another serious accident was recorded last Sunday when an e-scooter collided with a motorcycle, critically injuring the scooter rider.

Since the start of the year, two people riding e-scooters have died, while six others, including minors, have been critically or seriously injured.

The two most recent serious accidents involved a 16-year-old and a 56-year-old. Both riders were left fighting for their lives, with the incidents occurring within days of each other.

The figures show that serious accidents have increased rather than fallen despite the tighter law.