Safety concerns mounting over electric scooters

By Bahk Eun-ji

Safety concerns are growing over the use of electric scooters, as a number of related accidents took place in recent weeks, according to the police Tuesday.

According to Haeundae Police Agency, a driver in her 30s who was using an electric scooter while drunk was arrested in Busan, Tuesday. The woman fell off the vehicle after hitting obstacles in the road at 4:55 a.m. near Seomyeon Station. She was not wearing any safety equipment. A police officer who was patrolling the area tried to help her and offer treatment, but the officer confirmed she was drunk when she attempted to flee the site.

A Lime scooter is broken after being hit by a car in Busan, Sunday. The driver in his 30s was killed on the spot, police said. /Yonhap

Police said her blood alcohol concentration level was 0.08 percent, which was enough to warrant the revocation of her driver's license. She was confirmed to have been using an electric scooter from Lime, a mobility company from the United States.

The previous day, a man in his 30s was hit and killed by a car while riding an electric scooter at night in Busan; he was confirmed to have been operating the vehicle without a license.

Under Korean traffic laws, personal vehicles such as electric scooters and electric unicycles are classified as motorbikes. Those who wish to use them must possess a driver's license and wear a helmet.

However, compliance with the regulations is lax. Criticism is also being raised over the poor safety management of electric scooter rental companies such as Lime that do not confirm whether users have a driver's license.

Anyone can use a Lime electric scooter if they register using mobile phone authentication and select a payment method through its application. The U.S. mobility firm is known to have taken no action despite criticisms. Unlike most Korean companies, Lime doesn't have a system to check whether users possess a driver's license.

According to data from the National Police Agency (NPA), there were 289 related accidents reported to the police between 2017 and 2018. Among them, eight accidents resulted in deaths, while drivers or pedestrians were seriously injured in 110 cases and sustained minor injuries in 171.

The NPA requested the transport ministry modify regulations on the devices' manufacturing criteria, but the bill has been pending at the National Assembly due to partisan wrangling.