Filenews 13 February 2025 - by Ioanna Kyriacou
The loopholes governing the legislation on electric scooters, which circulate on the roads, causing, in several cases, road accidents or even problems on sidewalks and pedestrian movement were again on the table. The issue was discussed today in the Transport Committee of the Parliament, which is considering the possibility of introducing special legislation for the registration of scooters, with the aim of reducing incidents of violation of the highway code and insurance coverage in case of accidents. However, as stated by the Ministry of Transport, changing the legislation for scooter registration in the traditional way will have a disproportionate cost and is therefore not feasible.
As stated by the President of the Committee, Marinos Mousiouttas, in recent years cases have been identified where minors, riding scooters, were involved in accidents and ended up in hospital. There are also cases when scooters circulate illegally on sidewalks or drivers abandon them on them, obstructing pedestrians. He said there was a need for signage and maximum supervision, otherwise we would mourn victims and "look for who bears responsibility". In fact, as he said, if the gaps are not filled, he will submit a proposal to abolish their use. At the same time, he set a three-month timetable for competent bodies and ministries to cooperate and come back with specific suggestions on how the problems and the issue of insurance coverage can be resolved.
The MP of the Green Movement – Citizens' Cooperation, Stavros Papadouris, who registered the issue, suggested that scooters be registered in a special register so that they can be insured. He has also prepared a relevant proposal for a law, which he will not submit until the Ministry of Transport presents its suggestions on the issue. He argued that it is necessary to have insurance as in cases of accidents, involving pedestrians or drivers of vehicles with scooters, the other side bears the cost of the damage, since users are not covered by insurance and it is difficult to identify offenders.
What international practice says
A spokesman for the Department of Public Works admitted that there are issues which, without proper policing, create a situation of lawlessness. In relation to the issue of registration, he pointed out that in no other country is this the case, as scooters do not fall into the category of motor vehicles. As he explained, the vehicles that are registered are those that have an approval certificate behind them, which does not exist in the case of scooters. He noted that an attempt was made on rental scooters to have a unique number for identification, however, this is impossible to apply to private ones. "When there is an accident and there is an injury, obviously the police have to be called. You have to stop and exchange information with the scooter driver involved," he added.
Regarding the insurance of electric scooters, he clarified that some countries have found a way. "This is a specialized process. We need to look into it further. Many times it is not easy to find correct data because information on the internet is misleading," he said and asked for time from the Commission so that the Department could investigate the matter and come back. However, insurance companies have expressed an intention to insure as long as there is proper and serious infrastructure. In order to become insurance, it was clarified, registration and other conditions are needed.
Over 1,500 complaints in a year
The Assistant Director of the Traffic Headquarters, Haris Evripidou, defended the handling of the Police, saying that adequate control and policing are taking place. Based on the data it provided to the Commission, in 2023 there were over 1,500 complaints about scooter infringements, with more than 630 relating to driving in unauthorised places. Also, there were many complaints about not wearing helmets and phosphors. Between 2021 and 2023, 0.9% of all injuries involved injuries to scooter users. In relation to deaths, he recalled that there was only one in 2022, before the legislation was passed. "Empirically we don't have an alarming number of cases where scooters were involved in a car crash and drivers fled the scene. What we are asking for is for local authorities to be more involved in the issue of controls and areas where they are allowed to move." The Union of Municipalities replied that there is no staffing "for municipalities to run behind every scooter. We will have to look again at the legislation in full, the standards and how they are introduced."
What does the legislation provide?
The legislation governing the use of e-scooters provides for fines of €50 and €85. A fine of €85 is imposed on persons who use scooters – and are under 14 years old, who develop speed beyond the prescribed speed, who do not wear a helmet and do not comply with the indications of traffic signs and traffic lights that regulate the traffic movement of vehicles, motor or not. The €50 extrajudicial fee is imposed, inter alia, on persons who use scooters – skates without running lamps and outside their designated lane of movement and who park, place or abandon them in a bicycle lane, bicycle path, bicycle corridor or road surface.
Among other things, the law records the obligation of users to wear a protective helmet. The movement of such devices may take place only on a road with a maximum speed limit of 30 km, on a cycle path, on a cycle lane or on an extension of a cycle path bearing a special sign. The use of e-scooters is prohibited on motorways, expressways, squares or pedestrian streets (unless otherwise specified by the local authority concerned). According to the legislation, only people over the age of 14 have the right to use e-scooters. The responsibility for implementing the legislation lies with the Municipalities and the Police.
