Scooterists to be included in traffic rules

On 25 May, an accident occurred in the Seaside National Park. A female scooterist travelling at high speed fell down and received a severe head injury. Passers-by called an ambulance crew, the girl was taken to hospital. As later informed the management of the boulevard, the girl rode on the territory prohibited for

Attention is drawn to the severe injury received from a blow to the head. If the girl had been wearing a helmet, she could have got off with minor bruises. But in Azerbaijan the law does not require scooterists to wear a helmet.

Note that the name scooter refers to a family of light two-wheeled mopeds and scooters. In recent years, electric scooters have appeared and are becoming popular, rented in Baku by the hour. In Baku, scooter rental companies Jet, Wingz, EScooter.az, Kontakt and Bolt, differing in scooter models and number of parking spaces, compete for customers.

The cost is on average 5 AZN per hour or 10 AZN per day.

In Azerbaijan, all road users travelling on motorbikes, scooters and bicycles are required to wear a safety helmet and equip vehicles with reflective elements.

A fine of 20-100 manat is imposed for violation of paragraph 388 of the traffic rules.

However, as seen on Baku streets, the traffic police do not notice the large number of scooterists and cyclists without helmets on their heads.

Commenting on the growing danger to scooterists and from them to other road users, major Araz Askerli, chief inspector of the traffic police, said that now scooterists are not singled out in traffic rules, as the law equates users of such vehicles with other road users.

He warned that specific mention of scooterists would be added to the new traffic rules legislation. ‘Scooterists should not abuse the features of this vehicle, do not drive onto pavements, do not make dangerous zigzag manoeuvres, do not point the vehicle at people. Scooterists are obliged to wear protective helmets,’ Askerli added for the press.

It is worth noting that for safety reasons, scooters can only travel on cycle paths at a speed of no more than 25 kilometres. At intersections, the speed should not exceed 15 kilometres per hour. In apps for scooter hire, speed-controlling features have been introduced. In the near future, the speed limit function of electric scooters will be activated in parks and other public places. The movement of the vehicle will be blocked if the set speed limit is exceeded the set speed limit or scooters attempt to enter a restricted area,’ the Land Transport Agency of Azerbaijan reported.