Possible Banning Of Electric Scooters On Weekends

A new report on traffic safety made for the City of Reykjavík calls for the potential banning of electric scooter rentals on weekends, when the most accidents occur due to drunkness, reports Vísir. The CEO of Hopp believes the idea to be “completely wrong.”

Traffic safety report indicates weekend dangers

The report explains that “Electric scooter rentals could potentially increase the safety of their users by shutting down their services on Friday and Saturday nights if experience indicates that users are renting electric scooters under the influence of alcohol.”

The report details that most accidents occur on the weekend. An investigation is currently underway in Sweden where they’ve found that most accidents take place on Friday and Saturday nights, with Saturdays having the most serious incidents.

The ban has not achieved sweeping approval and instead was a suggestion in a newly developed traffic safety report. However, the assistant chief of police in the traffic department of the Police in the Capital Area has expressed interest in such a ban.

Hopp CEO disapproves of a ban

The Managing Director of Hopp, Sæunn Ósk Unnsteinsdóttir, does not consider the banning of electric scooters on the weekends to be a solution to the problem. “I think people first and foremost need to take responsibility for themselves and not get behind the wheel when they are drunk. That is, of course, the key to all of this,” she notes.

Furthermore, Sæunn asserts that the scooters have become a vital mode of transportation for the city. Banning access to the rentals on weekends would be difficult and that people must assess their condition before riding, as Hopp’s terms explicitly state that renters are not allowed to ride under the influence. Not to mention all of the private scooters and bicycles, Sæunn believes the ban to be “completely wrong and impractical.”

Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.

You can also check out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.

Also you can get regular news from Iceland—including the latest notifications on eruptions, as soon as they happen—by signing up to our newsletter.