The movement of scooters should be regulated as soon as possible by the Road Safety Law, says Stefan Bulatović from the non-governmental organization Biciklo.me.
Last year, there were seven traffic accidents involving electric scooters, in which one minor was killed and seven people sustained serious injuries. These data are stated in the Report on the State of Road Safety in Montenegro for 2022.
“As the number of users increases, the number of dangerous situations also grows, including accidents that can sometimes be fatal,” Bulatović said.
The Police Directorate told Radio Montenegro that the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) plans to amend the above-mentioned law in the near future in order to define the conditions and rules for the use of electric scooters.
“Some electric scooter riders are involved in traffic accidents by falling while riding, then coming into contact with pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles, depending on whether they are moving on the sidewalk, pedestrian paths, bike lanes or the roadway,” the Police Department said.
The police advise against using electric scooters on roads and in areas intended for pedestrians. “Biciklo.me's recommendation is to treat electric scooters as vehicles, that is, to prescribe riding on a bike lane or path, and if there is no path, then to ride on the road, as in the case of bicycles,” Bulatović said.
He also advises limiting the speed to around 20 km/h in order to reduce the likelihood of injury.
Although, as Bulatović says, there is no perfect solution, the competent authorities are advised, when drafting amendments to this law, to pay attention to how different European countries have regulated this issue.
Bulatović notes that all the ambiguities and dangerous situations related to the movement of electric scooters indicate that Montenegrin cities lack safe and quality infrastructure for non-motorized forms of transport, both for scooters and for bicycles and pedestrians. He adds that the amendments to the above-mentioned law should provide for the use of electric scooters by minors.
“Age restrictions should certainly exist, but I believe the law should leave room for younger children to ride scooters under adult supervision,” Bulatović told Radio Montenegro.
In conclusion, he added that decision-makers should design streets where children will feel safe, as well as areas without dense and fast car traffic, in order to raise safety to a higher level.