Ordering Electric Scooter Users, Tokyo Will Apply Light Traffic Violation Tickets

Illustration of an electric scooter. (Wikimedia Commons/Sonia Medina)

JAKARTA - The Tokyo, Japan police plan to start issuing traffic violation tickets at the end of this month for electric scooter users who commit minor offenses, such as breaking a traffic light or climbing onto a sidewalk to prevent accidents.

Classified in the same category as motorcycles under Japan's road traffic laws, electric scooter users need a license. So far, the police have only cracked down on more serious offenses such as driving without a license, driving under the influence of alcohol, or causing injury.

Scooter users who are awarded multiple traffic tickets may be fined or have their license suspended.

Between January and November this year, there were 16 accidents in Tokyo involving electric scooters that resulted in injuries. In addition, 44 accidents caused property damage in the capital.

Popular in Europe and with an increasing number of users in Japan, electric scooters resemble skateboards equipped with handles. Users are required to wear helmets, install license plates and rear-view mirrors, and take out motor vehicle liability insurance.

To support law enforcement and the safety of its users, Tokyo Police has created a database of electric scooters, so that investigators can quickly identify models at the scene of a traffic violation, according to the source.

"Issuing traffic tickets to electric scooter users for (minor) offenses in densely populated areas of Tokyo will have a certain effect in reducing the number of accidents. And perhaps encourage police in other areas to follow suit", Yuichi Nagase, a senior researcher at the Institute for Transportation Economics, said, citing Kyodo News December 2.

"However, the traffic rules for electric scooters are not widely known. The government needs to inform not only scooter users but also cyclists and pedestrians", he added.