It is estimated that around 200.000 inhabitants of Serbia ride an electric scooter. They drive as they want, without any obligation to follow the traffic rules like all other drivers, because there is no law that would oblige them to do such a thing.
However, it is expected that members of the Serbian Parliament will soon have the opportunity to discuss the Proposal for Amendments to the Law on Traffic Safety, the rules of which will apply to electric scooters.
Zlatko Belencan, assistant head of the Traffic Police Administration, told Euronews that the proposal to amend the Law on Traffic Safety should define the electric scooter as a vehicle, and thus determine the penal policy for drivers.
"Even in Europe in earlier years, there was no unified opinion about what an electric scooter is - whether it is a vehicle or a tool." There is a difference there. Let's say, experts who deal with mechanical sciences say that it is not a vehicle, because it does not have a body and certain characteristics of the vehicle, which include, among other things, dimensions. On the other hand, we have a driver who operates it. Therefore, we have to define it as a vehicle," Belencan said
He states that the Draft Amendments to the Law on Traffic Safety proposes that the speed of movement on the sidewalk be five kilometers per hour, that they will use bicycle and pedestrian-bicycle paths and lanes, and in some cases the roadway, a helmet is mandatory, it is forbidden to drive another person, drivers must be marked with brightly colored vests or fluorescent materials at night and in cases of reduced visibility.
"The penal policy will be the same as for bicycle drivers, with the exception that we still have to adjust the penal provisions," said Belencan and explained that "this is not just a traffic issue. We need to include the Ministry of Trade, so that it doesn't happen that a scooter can be bought but not used. This will be a process, which, I'm sure, will end with adoption, probably at the beginning of next year.
The advantages of scooters are numerous - they are easy to drive, traffic jams are not an obstacle, they consume little and they do not need a parking space. And, they do not pollute the environment, which in this time of air pollution stands out as its biggest advantage.
S.Ć. / Euronews
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