The new, stricter rules for electric scooters are practically unenforceable. This opinion was expressed on the air of “Hello, Bulgaria” by Vladislav Stoitsov, Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Association for Electromobility. According to him, there is an unresolved case at the moment.
“If I ride a scooter, from September 7 I must have "Civil Liability" insurance. We met with the Association of Bulgarian Insurers, who showed us that in practice this cannot be done before the Insurance Code is changed. It states that the scooter must have a chassis number, this is the EGN of the given vehicle, and it must be registered with the Traffic Police. This is the requirement under the Insurance Code, and it is a higher form of the law. Currently there is a serial number, but it is written differently in the code. It works, but only if a correction is made to the writing”, explained Stoitsov.
“In order to issue an insurance, there must be registration, and it cannot be done because this has been transferred as a responsibility to the municipalities. They have 4 months to do it. And insurance is required after one month, for which registration is required. We fall into a gray area, in which something is required of us, but no one has practically told us how it can happen”, he explained.
According to him, the new law was adopted express and there was no public discussion. And passing the ball to the municipalities is a mistake. The problem must be solved at the national level.
“We are the first country in general to impose such drastic bans on electric vehicles. We are the first country to impose a ban on driving any vehicle at night”, Stoitsov also said.
According to him, every European country should work to promote urban mobility, because the problem of traffic and dirty air is getting bigger.
According to him, they have already talked to the State Agency “Road Traffic Safety” so that in the fall there can be more extensive road safety training in schools, so that there are not so many accidents with scooters.
► New requirements and fines
The key changes that affect all owners and users of electric scooters are:
Mandatory helmet: The fine for not wearing a helmet is 50 leva.
Maximum speed: The limit is up to 25 km/h.
Mandatory "Civil liability" insurance: Its absence will be punished with a fine of up to 400 leva.
Ban on driving at night: Driving in the dark hours of the day will cost violators 50 leva.
Ban on using a phone: Talking on a mobile phone while driving is sanctioned with 50 lv.
Parental penalty: A parent who allows a person under 16 to ride a scooter outside of permitted areas will be fined 500 lv.