Arnis Jekste: I hope that everyone, when participating in road traffic, will remember the appropriate speed and safety

About a hundred registered electric scooters arrive in one day.

Those registering their vehicles should know that the total power of the electric motor must not exceed one thousand watts, the speed must not exceed 25 km/h and, if a seat is installed, it must be lower than 54 centimeters.

Many owners register online, each application is reviewed individually, and additional information is also requested.

There are also cases of refusal.

Sometimes there is something wrong with the seat height or the speed is over the limit and needs to be refined to be able to register.

These cases are examined only in Riga, and the person comes to CSDD with all the driving equipment.

If technically the capacity is not exceeded and the owner can limit the speed that will be measured on the stand in the app or otherwise, as well as be able to make changes in the seat position, then the possibility of registration will be considered individually.

An electric scooter, like a moped, does not need to undergo a mandatory technical inspection. However, the road traffic regulations describe everything that must be present – ​​brakes, lighting devices.

The vehicle must be in good order and is the responsibility of the owner.

The technical condition can be checked at roadside controls at any time.

Apart from the registration, there are many other norms that the driver of the electric scooter must follow, thinking about his safety.

Until the age of 17, it is mandatory to wear a protective helmet, but after what is seen on the streets of Liepāja, they have forgotten about them.

To ride an electric scooter,

a bicycle, moped or any other vehicle driver’s license is required.

We have noticed that adults come more often to apply for a bicycle driver’s license. From the age of 18 you have to pay for it, minors still have free parking. We understand that the adults who are coming now are electric scooter drivers.

It should be noted that electric scooters are allowed to be driven only from the age of 14. You can ride a bicycle from the age of 10, obtaining a license, a protective helmet is mandatory until the age of 16.

I hope that everyone, when participating in road traffic, will remember the appropriate speed and safety.

The road infrastructure is being repaired in many places in Liepāja, you should be especially careful there. The small wheels of the electric scooter are quite dangerous, if you hit a stone, you may fall.

Mutual culture and sharing of the road must be observed, remember that the pedestrian has the right of way. When approaching a pedestrian from behind, it should be done much more slowly than if driving from the front when a person sees an electric scooter.

Arnis JeksteCSDD Liepājas Deputy Head of Customer Service Department

For reference

Severe injuries after electric scooter accidents

From 2021 to 2023, a total of 410 people with various head and face injuries were treated at Stradiņa hospital, of which 220 cases were found to have open head wounds, 71 cases – mandibular fracture, 58 – cheek bone and maxilla fracture, and in 46 cases the victims had broken nasal bones.

30 children under the age of 18 have been treated at the Center for Oral, Facial and Maxillofacial Surgery.

The largest number of victims is in the age group from 20 to 23 years, followed by the group from 23 to 38 years.

One of the most frequent causes of accidents is driving under the influence of alcohol – a third of the victims admitted this, but in reality this number could be even higher, as there is no data on alcohol consumption for 40% of patients.

Source: State Police

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