E-scooter riders in Italy are to be required to wear a helmet and have insurance, and e-scooters will also have to have a number plate, the Italian government has announced.
The new regulations have been approved by the cabinet, but the measures will have to be approved by parliament to become law. The Italian government is reportedly looking to “crack down” on the use of e-scooters on city streets, in a bid to cut accidents and reduce injuries.
E-scooters will also not be allowed outside of built-up areas, for example on major highways, or to be parked haphazardly on pavements.
Transport Minister Matteo Salvini said: "We need to restore a bit of order. Thinking about the pavements of the big cities like Milan and Rome, it is like a gymkhana for people with pushchairs.”
Earlier this year, residents of Paris voted to ban rental e-scooters in the French capital, in a referendum that was called partly in response to the number of people being injured and killed in e-scooter accidents.
In the UK, e-scooters can only be ridden when rented as part of official trials, which are taking place across the country. Trial e-scooters can be used on the roads, except motorways, and in cycle lanes, but can not be ridden on the pavement. The maximum speed for an e-scooter is 15.5mph.
It was announced last year that a new Transport Bill will make e-scooters legal in the UK through the creation of a low-speed, zero-emission vehicle category, but this has been pushed back until late this year at the earliest.
The chief executive of trade association TechUK recently called for regulatory certainty from the UK government in order to increase e-scooter production in the UK, warning that delays to legislation are preventing manufacturers and operators from expanding in the UK and could even see them leave the market altogether.
In a letter to Transport Secretary Mark Harper, Julian David said: “We are now rapidly losing pace as the EU has already taken steps to legalise e-scooters and is drafting bloc-wide cargo bike regulations to come into effect from next year.”
