South Korea's ruling and opposition parties are accelerating legislation to make safety education and age verification mandatory when users rent personal mobility (PM) devices such as electric scooters. Legal grounds will also be established to prohibit riding by two or more people and driving under the influence, aiming to prevent recurring accidents.
The National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee held a traffic legislation subcommittee meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on Thursday, where it tabled and discussed a bill on the safety and management of personal mobility devices. Lawmakers from both parties largely agreed on the need to strengthen safety regulations amid a string of e-scooter accidents. However, they decided to reconvene the subcommittee on the 28th, judging that further discussion is needed on the extent of safety management obligations to be imposed on rental operators.
The original bill included a provision requiring rental operators to verify whether users hold a motorized device driver's license when lending out e-scooters. Industry players have raised concerns that the PM industry would be significantly weakened, with usage sharply declining particularly among those in their 20s, who account for 70 percent of e-scooter sharing service subscribers.
Accordingly, the committee prepared an alternative that would require verification of the user's age (16 or older), identity, and completion of safety education, instead of a license check. The alternative also includes a penalty provision imposing a fine of up to 5 million won ($3,600) on rental operators who fail to comply with these obligations. However, some lawmakers reportedly argued that the original bill should be maintained, as the risk of accidents has grown alongside the spread of e-scooters.
E-scooter users will also be subject to duties of care. The bill stipulates that two or more people may not ride a personal mobility device together. Operating the device while intoxicated is also prohibited. In a review report on the matter, a committee expert pointed out that "measures such as sanctions to ensure compliance have not been stipulated, which is expected to limit the effectiveness of the rules."
