No alcohol on the handlebars for users of scooters and bicycles in Lyon
4000 scooters are in circulation in the city of Lyon. Like cars and bicycles, these vehicles and their users are subject to the Highway Code.
Drink or drive, you have to choose. After New Years Eve, you might be planning to go back by bike or scooter. These means of transport are not exempt from the Highway Code. Electric or not, the number of scooters continues to increase in cities. In Lyon, there are 4000 self-service, managed by two operators: Dott and Tier.
Since 2019, the law regulates the use of scooters. These Personal Motorized Displacement Vehicles (EDPM), recognized as a new category of vehicles, are subject to the same regulations as cars. Between 0.5 g / l and 0.8 g / l of alcohol in the blood, the scooter driver incurs a fine of 135 euros. The only difference is that there is no license withdrawal. A regulation that also applies to bicycles opposed to non-electric scooters considered as pedestrians.
One in two scooter riders admit to hitting the road after having had more than two glasses of alcoholic beverages, according to the Axa Prévention barometer 2021. For the association, specialist in the prevention of road accidents, it is a rate twice as high as among motorists.
Christophe Spaeter, head of the Mobile Circulation Unit at the city of Lyon, wishes to qualify: “The alcohol level is not our main problem because we do not often meet alcoholic drivers. Our problems are more the use of the telephone or driving with others, for example ”.
On New Year’s Eve, 200 Dott scooters will be equipped with breathalyzers in the city of Lyon. “The operation will take place between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. on the peninsula, which concentrates 80% of our activity. Next year we will surely go much further in our prevention campaign for New Year’s Eve »Specifies Anissa Hammouche, field supervisor for the Dott company.
Riding a scooter is not without danger. Maeva, a regular user, plans to ride a scooter on New Year’s Eve. She says she “sometimes feels more dangerous” than motorists. Indeed, scooters can travel up to 25 km / h. While the helmet is recommended, it is not mandatory. After having received a legal vagueness around their use on public roads, scooters with a certain number of instructions. Failure to comply can result in fines ranging from 35 to 1,500 euros.
Some rules :
– Be at least 12 years old to ride a motorized scooter
– Passenger transport is prohibited
-The use of the telephone and the wearing of headphones are prohibited
– The scooter must be clamped at 25 km / h
– Obligation to ride on cycle paths or on the road if this is not possible