E-scooter Sharing Companies Ask Gov't to Lift Helmet Requirement | Be Korea-savvy

E-scooter Sharing Companies Ask Gov’t to Lift Helmet Requirement


This photo provided by an electric scooter sharing platform on Aug. 11, 2020, shows a tourist on Jeju Island riding an e-scooter.

This photo provided by an electric scooter sharing platform on Aug. 11, 2020, shows a tourist on Jeju Island riding an e-scooter.

SEOUL, June 9 (Korea Bizwire)Electric scooter sharing platforms have seen ridership plunge following government measures that require riders to wear safety helmets, and are asking the government to lift restrictions in exchange for lowering the maximum speed that the scooters can travel at.

Five e-scooter sharing companies including Lime Korea, Mercane Mate, Swing, Wind, and Hikick sent a joint statement on Tuesday to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the National Police Agency and local authorities across the country to deliver their stance on safety helmet regulations.

“We stand by the government’s policy to foster helmet-wearing behavior,” they said. “But there is a need to readjust the scope of violations in relation to safety helmets.”

They requested that e-scooters in bicycle lanes be exempt from safety helmet restrictions.

“The effort to minimize the risk of danger takes priority over wearing safety equipment to protect oneself from that risk,” they said. “We need to advise scooter users to ride in bicycle lanes, and stay away from roads and cars.”

The e-scooter industry claimed that it saw a 30 to 50 percent drop in the number of users after new legislation was enacted requiring scooter users to wear safety helmets.

Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)

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