Today, the German Federal Council will vote and establish the 'national' policy on e-scooters.
The original plan? Well....there were supposed to be two classes of e-scooters, with speed taken into consideration, with one allowed on bike paths only (the higher speed type) and the other on sidewalks (the extreme low speed type). That plan in the past week....got dumped.
The present plan to be voted upon.....one single class of e-scooter, and ONLY allowed on bike paths or streets (no sidewalks).
One other interesting rule....they have to be insured..
The need for a license? Non-existent (so far).
Kids? Well, that got into the package as well. From age 12 to 14, you can ride the lower speed type (12 kph or 7.5 mph). After fourteen years old, the sky is the limit.
Helmets? Oddly, that got into the mix, while you don't have to wear a helmet for bicycles.....you will have to wear one for e-scooters (I know, there's no logic to this at all).
What'll happen next (as they pass this)? 2019 and 2020 will be this massive e-scooter frenzy in Germany....from metropolitan areas to rural villages. These 12-year-old kids obeying the law? Forget that.....they will all be blasting away at 40 to 60 kph. Just in Wiesbaden alone, I'm betting that 10,000 e-scooters are active and running by late summer this year.
How long this goes with the license-crowd demanding some procedure? By spring of 2020, I expect some statistic to exist with a dozen dead folks, and over 3,000 injuries in one brief year. This will push the Bundestag into 'saving' the public and establishing some type of license procedure or class.
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