The age of the PEV is upon us, and the e-scooter is king. Singapore has one of the highest uptake rates of PEVs in the world; people from all walks of life have embraced this mobility revolution. From delivery men to senior citizens, the buzz of a brushless motor zipping past seems increasingly ubiquitous. Heck, you can even buy an e-scooter at the supermarket these days.
Yet for every elderly husband sweet enough to wheel his wife around with the aid of a PEV, there’ll be at least 10 e-scooter riders brazen enough to lane-split in rush hour traffic. With the number of e-scooter related accidents predictably on the rise as more users emerge, we thought it the perfect time to share some of our top tips on how to e-scoot safely on the right side of the law.
PEV Law
The days of the PEV wild west has come to an end. LTA officers have been pulling PEVs over, despite looking a bit silly doing so, and issuing summons to errant riders. Although there don’t seem to be any official laws set in stone, the LTA has a set of enforceable rules and guidelines with which to do their policing. You can check out Falcon PEV’s helpful new video for the full list, but the most important “law” you should observe? Do not use your PEV on the road. Stay on connectors, pavements and footpaths, and dismount if you’re crossing roads. Being on the road on your PEV is like issuing an invite for people to get you nationally disgraced, if not police attention in the first place.
Don’t pimp your ride
It’s probably not a good idea to pimp your person-sized moving platform to travel at speeds in which a crash would most likely mean severe injury. If you can break bones from a bad fall while practically standing still, what makes you think that you’ll be any safer on zipping around at 40kph, largely unprotected, on your little mobility device of death? Plus, it is in violation of LTA guidelines, so if you get caught with an e-scooter not limited to 25kph, you can kiss it goodbye.
Wear basic safety gear
We know a helmet while you’re riding your PEV at relatively low speed makes you look like you’re the kind of person for which life has decreed the helmet a necessity for your very survival in even the simplest tasks. But imagine how much terrible it’d be if you picked up a serious head injury from riding your PEV at relatively low speed, and you were too vain to wear a helmet. LTA guidelines also recommend that you have front and rear facing lights on your PEV in order to be visible to other path users.
Respect other path users
If you are riding an e-scooter, pedestrians have the right of way. In fact, if you are anything else than a pedestrian, you do not have the right of way. As pedestrians and their perambulating ways have been around longer than the wheel, you should go out of your way to let them pass, or pass them safely. A good time to be had by all can only be built on mutual respect. Should enough PEV-related events happen, you can bet that stricter PEV laws could be enforced. So let’s all work hard to keep our favorite new mode of transport legal, and keep its reputation spick and span.
You know what other road/path users hate? Surprises. Cars hate to be surprised by an e-scooter deciding to sidle up to their blind spot, while they are checking for oncoming traffic to prepare for a turn. Pedestrians hate to be knocked down by wildly swerving e-scooter users who can’t decide where they want to go and don’t have the decency to slow down. Always give way, and be prepared to dismount on paths with high human traffic.
Being unpredictable might be charming on a date with your crush, but it endangers your well-being, and everyone else’s.
Be paranoid
If you always have the worst case scenario playing in your head, chances are you’ll be able to avoid it. Turning a blind corner? Be paranoid about running into an elderly old lady. Trying to cross a street while the green man is flashing? Be paranoid about a van not actually respecting your right to cross like so. Being paranoid might cost you a few extra seconds on your commute, but what are those extra seconds compared to the rest of your life? It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
This story originally appeared on Stuff Singapore, bringing you what’s next in the world of tech and gadgets, with a twist.
