Half of scooter and electric bike users do not wear a helmet


Seven out of ten Spaniards have changed their way of move in the cities: personal mobility vehicles (PMV), such as scooters, and ‘sharing’ modalities (shared vehicles) are on the rise.

This trend could cause 5,500 deaths in cities between 2021 and 2030, 18% more than the previous decade, according to the study ‘New Urban Mobility and Road Safety. Accident rates in the new culture of travel’, prepared by the Línea Directa Foundation in collaboration with the Spanish Foundation for Road Safety (FESVIAL)

This would happen if the recommendations and regulations of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) are not respected, warns the study based on the figures of the last ten years and making a projection based on “big data” calculations, after verify that VPM users are still far from complying with regulations.

This is revealed by a survey of 1,700 Spaniards throughout the national territory: 50% acknowledge that they ride without a helmet71% say that they do so on the sidewalk on occasion and 45% admit to having exceeded the speed limits established for these vehicles (25 km/h).

New urban mobility

Fear of contagion from covid-19, car restrictions in cities, the greater number of pedestrian areas and environmental awareness are some of the factors that may explain the new urban mobility.

And a fact: young people no longer get their driving license as soon as they turn 18 as was the case before. In fact, the number of permits has been reduced by 51% since 2008.

As a general rule, Between the ages of 18 and 24, Spaniards opt for the VMP and ‘sharing’ and between 30 and 44 years of age, the trend is multimodal, that is, they use several means of transport during the same journey, compared to the older ones who prefer the car (45-64 years) or the combination of this with public transport (65 -79 years).

It appears from the survey that More than 17 million Spaniards (44%) admit to being regular or occasional users of a VMP or an electric bicycle and 60% are likely to use them in the short term.

urban accident rate

The new photography of mobility has worsened the evolution of urban accident ratewhich has increased by 42% (4,700 deaths) from 2011 to 2019 (excluding 2020, the year of the coronavirus).

The report, presented by Mar Garre, general director of the Fundación Línea Directa, predicts that, if the current trend continues, the accident rate in cities could exceed within ten years the 700,000 claims (24% more) and the 850,000 injured (22% more).

The vulnerable (pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and VMP users) make up 80% of those killed in the city. 10% of the total (almost 7,000) were cyclists and users of personal mobility vehicles.

“If we are not aware of the risks, the forecasts are worrying, especially taking into account the evolution of urban accidents. That is why it is essential that, now more than ever, we follow the rules and recommendations of the DGT,” warns Garre.

However, the new mobility also has brakes: 69% consider that electric cars are economically “unattainable & rdquor; and the new rules do not just like a part of the users of electric scooters.

A) Yes, 38% state that they will stop using their VMP due to the helmet requirement and 24% due to the prohibition of driving on sidewalks. In addition, another 50% would not take it if they were required to enroll or register it.

Related news

Asked if they have experienced an incident when driving an electric scooter or other Personal Mobility Vehicle, almost 9% of those surveyed acknowledge having had an accident or a fall.

A situation that occurs more in autonomous communities such as Madrid, Extremadura and Castilla y León. On the contrary, the inhabitants of Asturias, Aragon and the Canary Islands are the ones that have registered the fewest incidents of this type.


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