Fat tires, high handlebars, but no helmet requirement for e-scooters: the federal government wants to regulate the proliferation of e-scooters

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What a moped was to many teenagers decades ago, today it is the City-Coco with thick tires and high handlebars for modern children: a cool vehicle for city flying, or Agglo without a helmet and brawn.

Kids don’t always take the rules too seriously. They ride in pairs or trios, running on sidewalks, village squares and school squares – and many of these electric scooters are faster than the allowable 20 km/h thanks to simple manipulations.

No helmet requirement

Surprisingly, if you need an official license plate number, a driver’s license for a moped today, and you need to wear a helmet while driving, that doesn’t apply to nimble and whisper-quiet e-scooters. Despite the solid chassis, wide tires, high handlebars and weight of up to 60 kilograms, electric scooters that accelerate extremely fast are legally equated with a “slow” e-bike. This means that the fast e-scooter with a maximum speed of 20 km/h (up to 25 km/h with pedal assist) does not need an official license plate or the wearing of a helmet while driving.

“But what by no means reaches all young people and their parents,” says Bernhard Graser of the Aargau cantonal police, “is the fact that children under the age of 14 are not allowed to use e-scooters or e-scooters. And young people between the ages of 14 and 16 need a motorcycle driver’s license for it. (Cat. M), stresses the police spokesperson.

Hairdressing is not worth it

District and cantonal police have long criticized the boom in electric speeding cars, which also cost many motorists and pedestrians, costing around 3,000 francs and not that cheap. Because many of these city cocoons are usually in the middle of very fast and heavy city traffic. No wonder: the maximum allowable speed can be easily “adjusted” after introductory tutorials on YouTube or even increased by pressing a button directly on the car. “As tempting as the idea of ​​using the internet to get the e-scooter faster than the allowed 20 km/h is tempting, we strongly advise you to oppose it,” said police spokesman Graser. “Except possible prosecution, an accident without a helmet could easily have fatal health consequences.”

Many young drivers, as well as parents who buy the car, do not seem to be aware that many of the e-scooters that are usually bought online in Switzerland do not have an official traffic license – for example, because they deliver faster than allowed to the factory. “This means that such trendy mobile phones can be bought in Switzerland, but only driven on private land,” explains Bernhard Graser at 20 km/h. “And areas are private only if they are structurally separated and only accessible to authorized persons – such as underground car parks, for example,” a police spokesperson said.

adjustments required

After watching the federal government stand still for a long time, they apparently want to take action against the proliferation of lightweight electric bicycles. According to Thomas Rohrbach of the Federal Highway Office Astra, the Federal Council launched the consultation on “Traffic areas for non-motorized traffic” at the end of June 2023 – it will last until 18 October. Among other things, the adaptation of vehicle technical regulations, the classification and rules of behavior of such e-scooters are openly discussed. After evaluating the results, the Federal Council wants to decide on any changes and regulations. In plain language, this means that using e-scooters will likely soon be subject to the same regulations as mopeds: a maximum speed of 30 km/h, wearing a helmet is mandatory, and license plates and ID are mandatory.

Source: Blick