Electric scooters are omnipresent in the Vichy metropolitan area. Although they constitute a practical and ecological mobility solution, they also give rise to debates about their dangerousness.
Less traffic jams, less pollution and a quick alternative for travel. Despite their many advantages, electric scooters still represent a danger for users and pedestrians if they are not used correctly.
“Many people do not respect the rules and adopt behaviors prohibited by the Highway Code, such as wearing headphones or riding two people on the same scooter,” explains a member of the accident squad in Vichy. “However, the main cause of accidents remains failure to respect signs. They think they can do whatever they want. On scooters, we count about ten accidents per month.”
Accidents mainly result in injuries, but are rarely fatal.
With scooters, we have around ten accidents per month.
But that’s not all… Self-service scooters, often abandoned in the middle of sidewalks, also hinder the movement of pedestrians, in particular that of people with reduced mobility. This parking problem is frequently observed in the shopping streets of Vichy, such as rue Georges-Clemenceau, for example. “In Vichy, specific parking areas for our scooters have been set up to avoid disorder… But it’s always the same, some don’t respect the rules of good manners.
“driving,” explains Anissa Fersi, director of public affairs at Bird, a company that offers self-service scooters in Vichy, Cusset and Bellerive-sur-Allier.
“We try to punish bad users by banning them from the application, but unfortunately our means are limited.”
Scooters can be abandoned due to lack of battery.
Lucie, a Vichyssoise, paid the price for this lack of civic-mindedness three months ago. “I was walking on the sidewalk in the city center and I got stuck in a scooter that had no place there. Result ? I found myself in the hospital with a broken wrist,” she says.
A neglected highway code
Users must obey traffic rules, the same as for bicycles, including speed limits and traffic lights. Circulating on cycle paths or, failing them, on the road, that’s the rule! It is also prohibited to drive on the sidewalks.
Helmet is not mandatory, but strongly recommended.
“The law states that it is allowed to ride at pedestrian speed on sidewalks, that is to say with the scooter in hand,” adds a member of the accident brigade. As for speed, it is limited to 25 km/h maximum. “Our scooters are automatically limited in speed, adapted to their place of use. In the city, they will not exceed 15 km/h,” specifies Anissa Fersi.
Since 2019, insurance has been mandatory for each of them. In the event of a check, it is mandatory to present it with an identity card. An alcohol and drug test may be carried out. In Vichy, as elsewhere, electric scooters are not the only concern of the moment. Now, it is electric balance bikes that are making their appearance.
Attention: the Dualtron brand electric scooter, namely the Mini Special 52V 13 Ah, is currently recalled in all storesReleased on September 22, 2023 and sold in stores such as Fnac, Darty or Boulanger, this electric scooter presents a risk of electric shock.
Dounia Lemmouchia
Photos Rémi Dugne and Lisa Ruetsch
