Insurance will be compulsory for electric scooters and electric bikes

This year, 2021, there have been 13 fatalities in the use of personal mobility vehicles (PMVs), more than twice as many as in 2020, with no less than 385 accidents involving injuries, 83 of which are serious.

In these circumstances, the decision on the compulsory insurance of scooters and electric bicycles. As risk-generating elements and, if possible, under the regime and protection of a regulation comparable to the:

• Compulsory Motor Insurance (SOA) or at least,
• Compulsory insurance guaranteeing sufficient coverage to cover the compensation claims of victims arising from the use of MPVs.

Above all, it is a question of avoiding the helplessness of large injured parties in the face of the insolvency of the guilty parties or the serious financial damage that the enforcement of liabilities can cause for families, especially when the responsible parties are minors.

It should be borne in mind that there is a complexity in regulating this specific insurance, but while it is being regulated, viable intermediate solutions could be established, such as:

• Household insurance companies should extend their civil liability cover to these vehicles by extending the policy to this use of personal mobility.

What would it mean to design a regulation?

It would create obligations such as the registration of all scooters, among other issues. It would have a similar format to the one that already exists for cars.

Is voluntary insurance sufficient?

This situation is twofold: there are many cases where injuries are caused by scooter drivers who are insolvent, which also causes financial damage to the families of the person responsible for the accident.

From this point of view, a satisfactory solution for all parties involved has to be found by designing a compulsory insurance. This type of insurance entails a series of legal connotations that are different from voluntary insurance and the idea is that everyone who rides a scooter or electric bicycle is obliged to have this insurance for a small premium. The idea is that the uninsured driver would not be able to drive these personal mobility vehicles.

What is the purpose of compulsory insurance?

It is to cover all damage suffered by the victims of these accidents. The regulation is urgent because victims are being left without compensation. For this reason, it is expected to be regularised before 2024.

If you have any doubts about this issue, please do not hesitate to contact us, by telephone to Núria Martí García or by e-mail to nmg@btsasociados.com, we will be delighted to help you.