Radio | News week in plain Finnish | Sunday 18.5.2025

Electric scooters.

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The topic of this week’s news is electric scooters.

Electric scooters are widely used. They also cause a lot of accidents.

Many scooter drivers are not familiar with traffic rules.

Now we will tell you more about it.

Youth walking game

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Electric scooters in a park in Tampere. Photo: Juha Kokkala / Yle

Electric scooters have become popular. They are used especially by young people. However, many accidents occur with scooters.

For example, this week in Helsinki, the police were informed of at least 3 accidents involving electric scooters. In at least 2 of the accidents, the scooter driver was under 15 years old.

Accidents also happen outside the capital region. For example, 18 people injured in scooter accidents have already been treated at the North Karelia Central Hospital in Joensuu this month.

Traffic rules are forgotten

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The same traffic rules apply to electric scooters as to bicycles. Photo: Matti Myller / Yle

Many accidents involving electric scooters are caused by the driver not knowing or not following traffic rules.

Scooters are driven on the sidewalk. They are driven too fast and recklessly. Scooter drivers do not follow pedestrian crossing rules or the duty to give way. This is how Chief Inspector Dennis Pasterstein lists the causes of accidents.

However, scooters are subject to the same traffic rules and obligations as bicycles.

The law also says that only 1 person can be on the board. Yet many people often have a friend on board as well.

New age limit before Midsummer

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There have also been fatal crashes involving electric scooters, such as in Vantaa last summer. Photo: Linda Tammela / Yle

The rules for electric scooters are getting stricter.

In the future, scooter drivers must be at least 15 years old. Transport Minister Lulu Ranne says that the age limit will come into effect before Midsummer.

There will also be a blood alcohol limit for drivers. You may not drive an electric scooter if your blood alcohol content is 0.5 per mille or higher.

The purpose of the stricter regulations is to improve traffic safety.

Repetition

In today’s news week, we talked about electric scooters. Let’s say it again.

Many accidents happen to electric scooters.

Accidents are often caused by the scooter driver not knowing or not following traffic rules.

The same traffic rules and obligations apply to electric scooters as to bicycles.

There will be an age limit for electric scooters. In the future, the driver must be at least 15 years old.

That’s all for now. See you next week!