The State Agency for Road Safety proposes the introduction of regulation for electric scooters in the Road Traffic Act and the Road Vehicles Act, the Agency said.

This type of vehicle is increasingly spreading throughout the European Union, and Bulgaria is no exception. Several incidents with them show a strong need to develop mandatory minimum rules for their safe road traffic.

Similarly, the European Commission believes that the issue of the new type of vehicle is problematic, with Member States finding solutions and taking measures for the safe usage of electric vehicles.

Over the last month, the State Agency for Road Safety has reviewed the European experience in this direction. The approach of the member states is different - in some of them, people using this equipment are supposed to be pedestrians and allowed to drive along sidewalks and bicycle infrastructure while in others this is completely forbidden.

The maximum allowed speed also varies between 18 (Belgium) and 20 km / h (France, Germany). In some places, registration, insurance, and mandatory minimum age requirements for the persons who manage them are also introduced.

In view of the lack of a unified foreign approach and the different specificities of the settlements, the State Agency for Road Safety initiates a series of expert discussions with representatives of the local authorities and the responsible institutions. The State Agency believes that introducing a regulation on how to use them within the shortest possible time frame is urgent, especially given that many children and adolescents use them too.

According to the Agency, the maximum permissible speed should not exceed 20 km / h in urban conditions. A sensitive subject, which should also be subject to control, is the minimum age for drivers of this type of vehicle. The proposal, which will be the subject of further discussion, is the this age limit to be 14 years, with the possibility of further limiting the maximum permissible speed of 12 km / h to the age of 16. The topic of discussion will be whether it is it is necessary to introduce mandatory registration of the electric scooters and insurance for them.