Paris tells e-scooter riders to wear safety gear or face fines
Police in the French capital tighten rules for riders after a sharp increase in fatal accidents.
Parisian authorities are now requiring electric scooter riders to use safety gear or face penalties, as part of an effort to reduce the number of accidents in the French capital. These new regulations specifically target privately owned electric scooters, given that rental versions were prohibited last year.
Police reported on Saturday that 79 individuals died in e-scooter accidents last year, a significant increase from the 45 fatalities recorded the previous year, citing data from France's road safety watchdog. To address "the concerning rise in serious and fatal accidents" involving these motorized vehicles, it is now compulsory for riders on public roads to wear a helmet and a high-visibility vest.
Non-compliance will result in fines: €135 (£129) for not wearing an approved helmet, and €35 (£30) for failing to wear a vest or retro-reflectors. These rules also extend to other electric personal transportation devices, such as electric unicycles and hoverboards.
Official statistics indicate that approximately 1,100 people in Paris were injured in e-scooter accidents last year, representing a 33% increase from the year prior. This rise occurred despite Paris banning rental e-scooters in 2023 due to safety concerns, while still permitting privately owned ones.
E-scooters remain a popular mode of transport for commuters in the city, where narrow roads can often become congested. According to the EU, France has the highest rate of private e-scooter ownership in Europe, with around 2.5 million owners as of 2023, and hundreds of thousands more purchased since. Many of these are believed to be in the capital, though precise figures are not maintained.
Existing regulations in Paris already prohibit e-scooter riding for individuals under 14, forbid carrying passengers, and impose a maximum speed limit of 25km/h (16mph). Helmets and high-visibility vests are already mandatory in several other French regions, including Seine-et-Marne, Alpes-Maritimes, and Vaucluse.
Paris was among the first cities to embrace e-scooters, but growing concerns about dangerous riding practices and pavement obstruction ultimately led to the ban on for-hire e-scooters. The decision was made through a city-wide referendum, where 90% of voters supported a rental ban, despite only 8% of eligible voters participating.
Other European cities have also moved to ban rental e-scooters in recent years, with Madrid outlawing them in 2024 and Brussels announcing a similar ban set for June.