Electric Scooter Speeds from Opposite Direction, Crashes into Pedestrian on Shared Path

Police are investigating an accident in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, where a woman in her 60s was injured after colliding with an electric scooter driven by a teenager on a bicycle-pedestrian shared path.

Shared paths are roads where regular pedestrians and personal mobility (PM) devices, such as electric scooters, are allowed to travel together, often with bicycle lanes distinguished only by painted lines and colors on the ground.

Critics point out that while the risk of collision is high as pedestrians, including the elderly and vulnerable, share narrow paths with PM devices capable of reaching speeds in the 20 km/h range, preventive measures remain insufficient.

According to police and fire authorities on the 25th, an electric scooter driven by a teenager, A, collided with a couple in their 60s coming from the opposite direction on a bicycle-pedestrian shared path in Yangju at around 8:30 PM on June 9th.

As a result of the accident, a woman in her 60s, B, sustained injuries to her head and was transported to a hospital for treatment.

Police have booked A on charges including bodily injury resulting from professional negligence under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents and driving without a license, and are currently investigating the case.

However, investigations are ongoing as the accounts given by A and B regarding the exact point of impact differ.

While operating PM devices is prohibited on regular sidewalks, it is permitted on bicycle lanes.

The problem is that a significant portion of bicycle lanes in South Korea are shared paths physically attached to sidewalks.

Due to the frequent lack of physical dividing lines such as curbs or partitions, fast-moving PM devices and pedestrians trying to avoid each other can lead to sudden minor or major accidents, much like this case.

Last year in Seoul, an electric scooter struck a pedestrian ahead on a bicycle-pedestrian shared path, inflicting injuries requiring five weeks of medical treatment.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced the scooter driver to a fine of 2 million won on charges of violating the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Settlement of Traffic Accidents.

PM devices speeding through narrow paths pose a particular threat to the elderly and vulnerable, whose reflexes are slower.

If a PM device suddenly encounters an obstacle, makes a sharp turn, and strikes an unsuspecting elderly pedestrian, both parties can suffer severe injuries.

Previously, in June 2024, two high school students riding an electric scooter at Ilsan Lake Park in Goyang struck a couple in their 60s taking a walk, resulting in one fatality and one serious injury.

Although the accident location was a bicycle path within a park and cannot be considered entirely identical in nature to the shared path in the Yangju accident, it clearly demonstrates how fatal collisions between pedestrians and PM devices can be.

In August 2023, a pedestrian was also killed after being hit by an electric scooter traveling on a bicycle path along a stream in Yongin.

As the risks associated with PM devices are raised, local governments and authorities have introduced various measures such as speed limits and the creation of PM-free zones, but PM devices still zoom past pedestrians at close range.

A fire department official explained, "PM devices are vulnerable to collision accidents due to their small wheels and the structure where the rider stands on a narrow footboard," adding, "Caution is especially required as collisions with pedestrians are highly likely to cause severe injuries to both parties."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.