Starting today, e-scooter riders in Belgium will be required to wear safety helmets, unless the devices are locked to speeds below 20 km/h.
Even though Brussels has banned its rental e-scooters, privately-owned scooters and other ‘personal mobility’ devices continue to be involved in increasing numbers of accidents , with head and brain injuries particularly common. Statistics indicate that the risk of severe injury rises with speed.
Interaction between personal mobility devices and either cars on the one hand or pedestrians and cyclists on the other have become an issue in many cities, inspiring a variety of solutions or searches for solutions, including speed restrictions and new choices on which motorized units can be on pedestrian and cycle paths and which can share with cars.
Rome, Copenhagen, Prague, New York and Madrid are among those that have taken various local steps, and Germany has made rental companies responsible for accidents caused by unidentified riders. Among the most common restrictions are age rules and helmet requirements, while a growing number of cities have banned rental fleets.
Image: Vlad B/Unsplash
