The Italian government have tightened road safety laws, announcing a crackdown on the use of electric scooters on city streets.

Under the new regulations riders will have to wear a helmet and have insurance and the scooters themselves will now require a registration plate. Furthermore it will be forbidden to ride two-wheelers outside of built up areas or to leave them parked haphazardly on pavements.

There were over 45,000 rental e-scooters in Italy in 2021, according to the Sharing Mobility Observatory. They have proved a hit, particularly in cities with heavy traffic or few cycle routes, but drivers complain they are dangerous, and they are regularly left blocking footpaths or disabled access routes in major cities.

From 2020 to 2021, according to the National Institute of Statistics (Istat), road accidents involving e-scooters rose from 564 to 2,101 and injuries from 518 to 1,980. Of these, 1,903 were drivers, 77 passengers and 127 pedestrians. In 2021, there were 10 victims, one of whom was a pedestrian.

ISTAT data also show that in Italy, in 2021, only 13% of electric scooter users previously travelled by car. Before the advent of scooters, most users travelled on foot, by bicycle or public transport.

Parisians voted in April this year to ban rental scooters in their city. At home, Minister Eamon Ryan signed the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 on the 27th June last. The Electric scooter regulations must, under EU law, be notified to the European Commission for review, to ensure that they comply with single market rules before they come into effect. This process takes a minimum of 12 weeks so it is likely that by Autumn Ireland will have new laws for e-scooters and other powered personal transporters.