The New Law in Germany for E-Scooters Posted by Larissa on Aug 27, 2019 in Uncategorized
As of June this year, a new law has been made to allow Elektrokleinstfahrzeugen (small electric vehicles) to be used without needing a Führerschein (driving license).
This means that from the age of 14 and upwards, anyone can buy or rent an E-Scooter and can drive up to 20 km/h on cycle paths (or roads if there is no cycle path). It’s a quick way to get around town, and here in Munich there are already many E-Scooters standing around, waiting to be rented out.
Die Vorteile
The advantages
– It’s a faster alternative than riding a bicycle or walking.
– In a city you will always find a space to park your E-Scooter, unlike having an Auto (car), where you might not find a Parkplatz (car parking space).
– For people who have Behinderungen (disabilities) or Krankheiten (illnesses) it can be a helpful alternative.
– E-Scooters are umweltfreundlicher (more environmentally friendly) than driving a car.
– Renting an E-Scooter is cheap and easy to use. All you need to do is download an app. Here in Munich it is 1€ per ride and then 19 cents per minute.
Die Nachteile
The disadvantages
– Accidents could rise. Because anyone can ride an E-Scooter, they may not have ever driven a car or ridden a bike and therefore may not have enough experience on the road/cycle path.
– There is a higher risk of injury because you don’t have to wear a helmet. No helmets are required while driving an E-Scooter – the reason for this is because if you want to quickly hop on a rentable E-Scooter, it would be too complicated to first have to bring a helmet with you.
– E-Scooters could also be seen as a lazier way of getting around. Instead of riding your Fahrrad (bicycle) you now can just stand on a Scooter that does all the work for you.
Having an E-Scooter can be a very comfortable way to get around, as long as you know how to drive with it on the roads and cycle paths. I personally will stick to my bicycle so that I can also keep fit while travelling to my work/destination.
What do you think of the new law? Would you ride an E-Scooter?
Here is a vocabulary list with all of the helpful words:
die Elektrokleinstfahrzeugen the small electric vehicles
der Elektroroller/Elektroscooter the electric scooter (you can say both words in German)
der Führerschein the driving licence
der Parkplatz the parking space
der Helm the helmet
der Unfall the accident
das Unfallrisiko the accident risk
das Fahrrad the bicycle
das Gesetz the law
zum Ausleihen to rent
die Umwelt the environment
Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and also let me know if you have E-Scooters where you come from!
Thanks for reading,
Larissa
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About the Author: Larissa
Hello I'm Larissa. I live in Germany and I am half German and half English. I love sharing my passion for Germany with you through my posts! Apart from writing posts I teach fitness classes in Munich.
Comments:
Jasper:
You have forgotten the disadvantage that there is no need to park your scooter in a docking station. In my recent trip to Berlin, I noticed how there were e-scooters literally abandoned in the middle of the street. They were left anywhere and everywhere. So aside from your point about risk of injury – yes here in London a woman was killed this summer riding an e scooter on the road – there is the visual impact on the environment.
Larissa:
@Jasper Thank you Jasper for another disadvantage of E-Scooters! I actually saw this in the German news this week, they were saying that it is very disorganized at the moment because of the lack of docking stations.
Thank you for reading
Larissa
Krzysztof Andrzejewski:
In Poznan in Poland there are many e-scooterdifferent in the town.
I don’t think it is the best idea of getting around.
Better are bicycles and push scooters without electric engine. Environmental friendly and help people to keep fit.
Using e-scooters is also dangerous for all users of public pavements.
Finally I think that e-scooters is just a new fashion and first of all new business for some people.
Regards
Krzysztof from Poznań
Larissa:
@Krzysztof Andrzejewski Thanks Krzystof for your comment! Very interesting to see that other countries are also already using them. I also think they are quite dangerous on pavements and roads.
Thank you for reading
Larissa