Following around 200 accidents in Romania in the past 3 years, resulting in one death, Romania’s government has set out rules for use of electric scooters regarding how and where they can be ridden.
Under the new rules, only people aged over 14 years old can ride an electric scooter in Romania, and those aged under 16, will be required to wear a safety helmet.
Electric scooters can only be ridden on bike lanes, or on roads that have a maximum speed limit of 50km/h (approx 31mp/h) and must only be used by one person at a time. Other safety measures must be taken, such as the fitting of lights and reflective devices for riding during night.
Under the proposal, those who breach the rules, will risk 6 to 8 “fine-points”, with one fine-point valued at 145 lei (approx €30).
Ministry of Internal Affairs (Ministerul Afacerilor Interne), also consulted the legislation of other countries, before these rules were proposed, stating that “riding an electric scooter on public roads is allowed in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Italy, France and the Netherlands, but is not allowed in the United Kingdom”.
The project has currently been put up for public debate by MAI and identifies an electric scooter, or “e-scooter” being any two or three-wheeled vehicle, of which maximum speed does not exceed 25 km/h (approx 15 mp/h), and is equipped with an electric motor.
