Changes in regulations for personal mobility vehicles

On January 2, 2021, the new regulation of personal mobility vehicles, which includes the new General regulations for drivers, came into force, and which are defined as vehicles with one or more wheels, equipped with a single seat and propelled exclusively by electric motors that can provide the vehicle with a maximum speed between 6 and 25 km/h.

This definition, which excludes vehicles for people with reduced mobility, means that their circulation on sidewalks and pedestrian areas is prohibited and that they will have to comply with the traffic rules like other vehicles, and their circulation is also prohibited on interurban roads, crossings, as well as highways and highways that run within towns or in urban tunnels.

In addition, in order to circulate, personal mobility vehicles must have the corresponding circulation certificate that certifies that they comply with a series of technical requirements.

Its arrival in cities represents a novelty in the way of moving but also the possible appearance of a greater number of injuries among users. With the increase in the use of scooters, many people go to their doctor's office with fractures or bruises in their wrists, ankles, knees or necks. Therefore, it is important to offer some basic recommendations to prevent accidents with this new means of transportation in cities:

• Wear protection: Most injuries caused by electric scooter accidents occur to the head. In these cases, the speed at which you are traveling is key to calculating the severity of the consequences. Although most cases are mild, some can cause intracranial hemorrhages. Some falls to the ground can also cause injuries and fractures to the wrist or elbow.
• Be careful when braking: When you put your foot down to brake or turn, the most serious injuries usually occur. In these cases, the foot stops suddenly and fractures can occur in the tibia or fibula. Many of these breaks involve temporary immobilization or even an operation, with its consequent rehabilitation and recovery period.
• Respect the rules: coexistence between pedestrians, scooters and vehicles is not always easy. It is very common for pedestrians to be run over by scooters, causing broken hip injuries on certain occasions. On the other hand, scooters can also be run over by vehicles, in these cases at higher speeds the trauma is greater.
• Take into account the weather conditions: in rainy or windy conditions, traffic increases and with it the possibility of an accident. In these cases it is advisable to take extreme caution to avoid unnecessary falls and bruises.

In Fraternidad-Muprespa we have a large number of infographics and brochures on our portal Previene with topics related to occupational road safety that we encourage you to consult, as is the case of our infographic Decalogue of safety for scooters electrical.