Electric Scooter Drivers May Soon Need Licenses Under New Russian Proposals

The Investigative Committee (IC) has submitted proposals to the State Duma aimed at equating electric scooters and other personal mobility devices (PMDs) with mechanical vehicles, thus categorizing their users as drivers, as stated by Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament.

Among the proposals from the IC are the following:

— Clarifying the definition of «vehicle» to include its use for individual travel on roads.
— Expanding the definition of «driver» to include individuals using PMDs.
— Adding a subcategory M1 for vehicles that encompasses PMDs equipped with electric motors with a power output of up to 0.25 kW.
— Including PMDs with electric motors rated from 0.25 to 4 kW in category M (mopeds) and those over 4 kW in category A (motorcycles).
— Granting the right to operate vehicles in the M1 category to individuals aged 16 and older.

Volodin referenced statistics from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, which reported 3,897 accidents involving PMDs over the first nine months of the previous year, marking an increase of 47.2% compared to the same period the year before.

There were 44 fatalities, including six minors, and 4,052 individuals were injured, among them 1,392 children. Volodin emphasized that 34.2% of accidents involving PMDs occurred on sidewalks and in pedestrian zones.