Photo: Ieva Leiniša / LETA
Pupils will soon return to their normal learning rhythm after a six-month break due to an emergency, which means that parents must be especially reminded and make sure that children have memorized safety rules for street behavior, especially when using such popular electric scooters, emphasizes AAS BTA Baltic Insurance. Company ”(BTA).
“Children and adolescents have been studying both remotely and at leisure for the last six months; Many have gone to the countryside, where they can run freely and do not worry much about live traffic and other dangers, so it is only natural that they will have become even more carefree than usual after a long summer vacation, ”admits Ivo Danče, Director of BTA’s Baltic Risk Underwriting Department.
This year’s special situation urges special care to be taken to reduce the number of injuries and accidents when children return to school after a time spent remotely and a long summer holiday.
A relatively new additional risk of road accidents is the increasing use of electric scooters.
September tends to have warm and scooter-friendly weather, which encourages the use of the last “summer” days. But it is not really evaluated and regulated whether, for example, a 14-year-old child is able to control a relatively fast electric scooter and adequately respond to various situations that may arise in traffic, ”warns I. Danče.
“It is very important for parents to teach their children to observe their surroundings and react appropriately in dangerous situations, even if they are distracted by seeing them again with friends or, even worse, using smart devices on the street. Children and adolescents who do not take their eyes off the mobile device, even when crossing the carriageway, are often observed, and not always at the green light of a traffic light. At times, I am afraid to imagine what can happen if there is a driver behind the wheel who is just as obsessed with a smart device despite the ban on using it while driving and the penalties provided for, ”adds I. Danče.
He also points to the careless use of electric scooters, which can cause a variety of serious injuries.
Pending the adoption of regulations for electric scooters, electric scooters are considered to be similar to a bicycle if the maximum speed specified by the manufacturer does not exceed 25 km / h.
On the other hand, if the maximum speed of an electric scooter exceeds 25 km / h or the power exceeds 250 W, then it should be equipped as a moped and the requirements for the driver are also as a moped driver, informs the Ministry of Transport (MoT).
At present, electric scooters do not need to be registered with the Road Traffic Safety Directorate (CSDD), emphasizes Ilze Greiškalna, a public relations specialist at the Ministry of Defense. However, when driving on an electric scooter, the Road Traffic Act and the Road Traffic Regulations must be observed.
The Ministry of Transport has developed amendments to the Road Traffic Law and the Road Traffic Regulations, which will apply to the use of electric scooters.
Like bicycles, such vehicles must primarily travel on cycling infrastructure. When driving on the sidewalk with an electric scooter, keep in mind that pedestrians should be given priority and an appropriate driving speed should be observed so as not to endanger yourself or others.
It is also important that you must be at least 14 years old and have a valid cyclist’s license to take part in electric scooter traffic.
To take part in traffic, the use of a helmet is not yet mandatory, but it is strongly recommended, and parents should encourage children to use it. Injuries are possible, and the helmet helps protect your head from severe bruises if you fall off the electric scooter.
Used properly, an electric scooter is no more dangerous than other vehicles, so let’s teach children and young people to use them responsibly!
Par bta
Insurance joint stock company BTA Baltic Insurance Company is one of the leading insurance companies in the Baltics, offering the widest range of non-life insurance services in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. BTA employs more than 1,000 people in the Baltics. BTA’s largest shareholder is Vienna Insurance Group AG with almost 200 years of experience in the insurance industry.
