Romanian police designed a series of changes to the Highway Code that the Romanian Government would like to adopt by emergency ordinance, and which would enter into force as soon as possible in 2020. The changes concern electric scooters, which can be bought or rented even from the mobile phone, the Romanian Police wanting their status in traffic to be regulated so that undisciplined people are held accountable.
Romanian police wants electric scooters to no longer circulate on public roads, but only on special bike lanes, where they are available, or on the side of the road. The access of electric scooters, or bicycles, on public roads is only allowed in sections where the maximum travel speed is 50 KM/h, and thus the Romanian Police limits the possibility of their movement on most major boulevards in Bucharest, where the limit is 60 km/h.
Romanian Police: New CHANGES in the 2020 Highway Code
Romanian police says that only people at least 14 years old can drive an electric bicycle or scooter, and that they must wear a helmet until they are 16 years old. These scooters or bicycles must have lighting or reflective signs, must be "parked" only parallel to the side of the road, and if the provisions are not respected, the Romanian Police can impose fines between 860 and 1160 LEI.
"Through the project it is proposed that the electric scooter be defined as the vehicle used for the transport of a single person, with two or three wheels, articulated with a bar in the front used as a steering device, whose maximum speed by construction is higher of 6 km/h, but not exceeding 25 km/h and which is equipped with an electric motor."
Romanian police initiated this legislative proposal because electric scooters were used like in the "Wild West" in traffic, so there was a need to regulate their status so that fines could also be applied. The Romanian Police also prohibits the transportation of people with electric scooters because it is very dangerous, and this because they can reach speeds at which a possible fall can cause blows that can endanger life.
Romanian police they are now waiting for the prime minister to give his approval for these changes to the Highway Code, and if an emergency ordinance is adopted, then it will also establish the date from which the provisions come into force.
