Not long ago, two high school girls were hit by a taxi while crossing a crosswalk while riding an electric kickboard together. One person lost his life. Let’s discuss with reporter Han Ji-eun of the Ministry of Social Affairs, whether there is a way to prevent the endless kickboard accident. A reporter, didn’t electric kickboards get stigmatized as ‘outlaws on the road’ and tightened regulations?

[Reporter]
Yes, it is. In December 2020, it was allowed to ride electric kickboards for those aged 13 or older on the condition of wearing a helmet, but as fatal accidents continued to occur, from May 2021, only ‘people with a motor vehicle license over 17 years old’ could use electric kickboards . The law has been strengthened to allow access.

[Anchor Lead]
Did the high school girls who had the aforementioned scooter accident have driver’s licenses?

[Reporter]
There was none. However, I was able to use it because there was no license certification process for the kickboard company.

An official from the kickboard company said
, “(The license authentication system) existed in the past. Currently, there is no procedure for certifying licenses, so we are now reviewing license authentication or improving this process… 

” I rented an electric kickboard, but there was only a notice that a driver’s license was required, and there was no minimum confirmation procedure.

[Anchor]
Is this company the only one that hasn’t built a license authentication system like this?

[reporter]
I looked at 4 electric scooter rental companies안전놀이터, and 3 of them, including the one that had an accident, could be used without license certification. Given this situation, the number of electric kickboard accidents among teenagers under the age of 19 increased more than 40 times from 12 in 2017 to 549 in 2021, and the number of cases of driving without a license was more than doubled from 3482 in 2021 to 7486 in August last year alone. increased.

[Anchor] 
The regulation itself, which allows only license holders to use it, is useless. Is there any way to sanction it?

[Reporter]
A driver who uses an electric kickboard without a driver’s license will be fined up to 200,000 won. In the case of children under the age of 13, guardians also have to pay fines, but the problem is that there is no legal basis to force license certification for kickboard companies under the current law. There are a large number of cases where several people ride an electric kickboard classified as a ‘means of transportation for one person’ and accidents occur. Although it is subject to fines, proper crackdowns are not being carried out for reasons such as lack of manpower .

[Anchor Lead]
Prevention comes first before crackdowns. It seems that the kickboard rental industry law itself needs to be tweaked. Are there any alternatives the government is looking for?

[reporter]
The government is promoting measures to strengthen regulations, such as changing the kickboard rental business from a ‘report system’ to a ‘registration system’. The key is to revise the law so that companies are obliged to subscribe to accident insurance. In overseas cases, there are cases where electric kickboards have been eliminated altogether due to the risk of accidents. In Paris, France, as a result of voting for and against electric kickboard rentals against residents, nearly 90% of residents expressed opposition, and electric kickboards are scheduled to be removed in September.

[Anchor]
Another direction could be what changes will be made to safety and transportation in Paris where kickboards have disappeared. I hear you.