Announcement of violations of electric kickboards in Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department concerns Strict eyes on new mobility etiquette

Request safety education for users from Metropolitan Police Department sellers and sharing businesses

On the road information board in Tokyo, a warning to the electric kickboard is displayed (photographed by Minami Nakajima).

On Friday, January 24, 2022, the Metropolitan Police Department's Traffic Department announced the occurrence of traffic accidents and traffic violations involving electric kickboards that occurred during 2021 in Tokyo, and electric kickboard operators gathered. At the "Communication Council on Traffic Safety of Electric Kickboards, etc.", we asked the people concerned for further safety measures. [Results] Electric kickboard violations by age (in Tokyo) and others See in the image There were 68 traffic accidents in Tokyo in 2021 involving electric kickboards. Of these, 18 were personal injury accidents and 50 were property damage accidents. In the same year, the number of accidents resulting in injury or death in Tokyo was about 28,000. There are 18 accidents involving electric kickboards, so the number is not large. However, although the number of fatal accidents in Tokyo is decreasing, the number of accidents resulting in injury or death has increased by 7.8% from the previous year, and the Metropolitan Police Department is wary of an increase in personal mobility accidents. Of the 18 accidents resulting in injury or death, 11 were injured by the driver of the electric kickboard. One of them is seriously injured. There were also three accidents that injured pedestrians and four accidents that injured cyclists. In particular, a personal injury accident that occurred near JR Shinjuku Station in Shinjuku Ward on June 2, ignoring the red light and colliding with a taxi, and a drunken condition that occurred on Meiji Dori in Shibuya Ward on August 26. The Police Agency emphasizes that the property damage accident that collided with an ambulance while operating a smartphone in Shinjuku was not recognized as a vehicle that would lead to a serious accident. The former is an unlicensed dangerous driving fatal injury, and the latter is drunk and violates the safe driving obligation, and both are sent. The accident resulting in injury or death in Shinjuku Ward was a privately owned electric kickboard, and there was no report of a motorized bicycle. The property damage accident in Shibuya Ward was using the vehicle of the sharing company. When the traffic accidents of electric kickboards were divided into privately owned and sharing vehicles, 16 to 2 out of 18 accidents were personal and 37 to 13 were property damage accidents.

Most of the detections violate traffic classification, unlicensed for private ownership, poor maintenance

Since the special provisions of the Road Traffic Act are applied to sharing vehicles, it is not a violation even if you do not wear a helmet (photographed by Minami Nakajima).

The National Police Agency's expert study group on the theme of traffic rules such as electric kickboards has compiled a report saying that sales and sharing businesses should be requested to provide traffic safety education to users. increase. The contents of the report are expected to be reflected in this year's revision of the Road Traffic Law, but the Metropolitan Police Department has made the importance of traffic safety education known in advance at the liaison council that gathered related parties. The Metropolitan Police Department's Traffic Department also announced the number of traffic violations handled by electric kickboards that are not accidents resulting in injury or death. There will be 207 cases in 2021. Of these, 55 were sharing vehicle users and 152 were privately owned users. Most of the violations were traffic classification violations such as walking on the sidewalk. In addition to traffic classification violations, privately owned vehicles were also conspicuously poorly maintained, such as being unlicensed, unreported, and not equipped with the necessary safety parts. Under the current Road Traffic Act, an electric kickboard is the same motorized bicycle as a moped. In addition, the vehicles provided by the sharing company under the Road Traffic Act exception are small and special. Although the vehicle classification is different, it is a violation to drive on the sidewalk. The Ministry of Transportation also attaches great importance to the opinions of transportation sent to the agency. He pointed out that the following opinions were received on the electric kickboard.・ Ignoring traffic regulations and bad manners are problems.・ We do not follow the law and etiquette, such as pushing pedestrians away and walking on the sidewalk.・ Even if it hits a pedestrian, it does not stop and runs away.・ Do not keep the signal.・ I want you to strengthen the guidance control. Road traffic tends to focus heavily on low-use and new vehicles. Efforts to be accepted by the transportation society are required of users and businesses.

Minami Nakajima (reporter)