Parliament decided that scooters are a problem, but only that. With the changes to the Road Traffic Act, electric scooters will only be able to be ridden if they are registered and the driver has “Civil Liability” (CL) insurance. It is forbidden to ride at night. The deputies decided well, but who and how will actually implement it…
It is said that the insurance industry is not ready for CL. The fact is that there is an increase in scooter accidents, and last year 12 people died after a scooter accident. We are even innovators. A ban on riding at night… This is not a practice in other countries in Europe, but it will apply in our country. And who will monitor it? Traffic police, municipal police...
When it comes to registration, the options discussed are two - a registration number or a sticker, which must be in a visible place, most likely on the handlebars. Such a sticker or number has not been displayed by the state so far. And do you have to go to the traffic police for registration...
And let's go back to the fact that the deputies decided, but the state itself and the insurers are not ready. So what if it's decided! And since nothing is ready as a regulatory framework, the calculations have started anyway. And according to these calculations, the mandatory "Civil Liability" insurance for electric scooter drivers will cost about 100 leva per year.
The price is intended to be cheaper than that for the weakest mopeds under 50 cc, which currently varies around 120-130 leva per year. Otherwise, the insurance will allow victims of scooter accidents to receive compensation. Now insurers will have to calculate the risk of scooter accidents in order to form the coverage itself. And when will this happen… The deputies did not decide.
Municipal councils will also have a role in the fight against scooters. They will be given the authority to set lower maximum permissible speeds than the legal 25 kilometers per hour and to introduce additional restrictions on the use of electric scooters on their territory. The new rules will enter into force after the law is promulgated, with municipalities having four months to draft their implementing regulations.
It has been decided…