DGT Plans Compulsory Insurance For Electric Scooters In Spain
Spain News
Published: 23 September 2021 12:56 CET
Spain’s traffic authority, the DGT, is reportedly planning on imposing compulsory insurance for owners of electric scooters.
The general director of the DGT, Pere Navarro announced on Wednesday that he was in favour of making insurance a requirement for e-scooter riders, a move that has already been adopted in France.
Thousands of electric scooters and personal mobility vehicles (VMPs) are now circulating on Spanish roads, with many riders not wearing helmets or covered by insurance. This has become a real concern for the DGT and regional authorities who have started to demand mandatory insurance for owners.
During a debate hosted by Línea Directa Aseguradora on the challenges faced by communities in terms of road safety and the new form of mobility, Navarro said, “The municipalities have asked for it, and the Prosecutor’s Office as well. In Spain, compulsory insurance for VMPs is already on the agenda. France has already put it in place, and we like that model”.
When the director was asked if the DGT planned on releasing specific data on accidents related to these forms of transportation, Navarro replied that "without data there is no road safety policy, it is what sets the path for them."
In addition, Navarro announced that the DGT was in the process of preparing a "powerful" campaign to educate e-scooter users about the prohibition of driving scooters on the sidewalks which is currently forbidden in Spain.
"One of our main concerns is scooters on the sidewalks," he insisted.
Mr Navarro also confirmed that the DGT was planning on introducing a quality certificate for personal mobility vehicles. These would prevent vehicles that did not meet the minimum quality and safety standards from entering the Spanish market.
"We do not want bad Chinese scooters," the minister stressed.
During the debate, Jaime Moreno, general director of the Land Transport of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda said that the pandemic, “has meant an important change in the mentality of users, since the growth of bicycle use is unstoppable, as is that of VMPs”.
Furthermore, Federico Jimenez de Parga, the Mobility coordinator of the Madrid City Council, explained that, “At present, in Madrid, there are 14 companies, with 4,800 scooters, but we want to limit it, as they have done in Paris, which only has three operators, with a maximum of 15,000 scooters (5,000 each)”, confirming that this measure will enter into force within a year.
Source
https://www.larazon.es/motor/20210922/lc47hdomdvejfc7yxgjy3yiodi.html
https://www.euroweeklynews.com/2021/09/23/dgt-reportedly-studying-compulsory-insurance-for-electric-scooters/
https://spanishnewstoday.com/compulsory_insurance_for_electric_scooters_in_spain_1651285-a.html
