2 weeks Ago
The National Police Agency has reported that the number of traffic violations by users of electric scooters, which have been permitted under certain conditions without a driver's license since July 2023, was 25,156 in the 12 months to June this year. In July last year, the revised Road Traffic Act came into effect, allowing people aged 16 and over to ride electric scooters that meet certain standards, such as maximum speed and vehicle size, without a driver's license. The NPA said the most common offenses were traffic lane violations, such as entering the sidewalk without switching to a slower speed mode (13,842 cases), followed by ignoring traffic lights ( 7,725) and failing to stop at stop signs (1,455 cases).
There were also 194 cases of drunk driving. Meanwhile, 226 people were injured in accidents involving electric scooters but no deaths were reported. By prefecture, Tokyo accounted for 165 cases, or 75% of the total.
The NPA is calling for strict adherence to traffic rules and will focus on cracking down on serious traffic violations such as drunk driving..
