Fast ride on an e-scooter: woman exceeds the speed three times!

Fast ride on an e-scooter: woman exceeds the speed three times!

There was a spectacular incident involving an e-scooter in downtown Vienna today, March 27th, 2025. A 40-year-old woman from Romania was stopped by the police on Franz-Josefs-Kai when she apparently significantly exceeded the speed limit on her e-scooter. The e-scooter was checked by officers at 10.45 a.m. after speeding was discovered while driving.

The legally permitted maximum speed for e-scooters is 25 km/h. However, a technical check revealed that the woman's e-scooter could reach up to 85 km/h. This corresponds to more than three times the permitted speed, which led to a complaint against the driver and an immediate ban on driving. Such violations raise questions about safety in e-scooter traffic.

Safety measures and regulations for e-scooters

E-scooters are electric scooters that are equipped with an electric drive. Their use is subject to the Small Electric Vehicle Ordinance (EKfV), which regulates the operation of these vehicles. It is important that only e-scooters with a valid operating license can be used legally. In addition, these vehicles must be insured, which must be proven by an insurance sticker. E-scooters are permitted on cycle paths, cycle lanes and cycle streets, but riding on sidewalks and in pedestrian zones is prohibited unless you are traveling at walking speed.

Specific regulations apply to e-scooter riders, including a minimum age of 14 and the requirement to ride alone. While the discussion about requiring turn signals for e-scooters is ongoing, the EKfV is being revised in order to increase road safety. Planned changes, expected to come into force in April 2025, include a regulation that will allow e-scooter riders to turn at red lights under certain conditions. In the future, newly registered e-scooters will also have to be equipped with indicators and separate brakes.

Responsibility and penalties in traffic

The new regulations also target victim protection, which has previously been criticized as inadequate. If the rules are broken, drivers face various fines - from 15 to 30 euros for driving on the sidewalk to high penalties for running red lights, which range from 60 to 180 euros. The alcohol limits for e-scooter drivers are identical to those for car drivers, which means that administrative offenses are punished from 0.5 per mille.

The events surrounding the incident in Vienna highlight the need to establish clear and strict rules for the operation of e-scooters in order to ensure the safety of both drivers and other road users. Current legislation is intended to help minimize potential risks and regulate the growth of e-scooter use in urban areas.

For more information about e-scooters and their use in Germany, those interested can see the details ADAC read up.

The important points about the incident in Vienna are also included Vienna.at to find.