Nine out of ten citizens in Seoul will comply with the revised Road Traffic Act, which takes effect tomorrow, and wear safety helmets when using e-scooters, according to a recent survey. Some 77.1% believe safety regulations for e-scooters are “highly necessary,” the survey found.
The survey, which aimed to gauge attitudes to the new regulations requiring helmet use, is part of an e-scooter Safe Driving Campaign being conducted by e-scooter operator Neuron Mobility and the Citizens’ Coalition for Safety (CCS), a non-profit civic organization.
The survey was undertaken by Neuron and CCS by Open Survey, a mobile research agency, which polled 2,000 adults in Seoul on Friday. Some 91.5% of respondents said the safety of e-scooter riders and pedestrians is “very important.”
Regarding the need for the tougher new e-scooter safety regulations, 99% of respondents answered positively, with 77.1% saying they were "very necessary" and 21.9% calling them "somewhat necessary."
Respondents in their 40s were the most adamant about the rider and pedestrian safety and the need for strong regulations.
Asked how they would use safety helmets after the implementation of the revised Road Traffic Act on Thursday, half (49.2%) of respondents said they would use helmets provided by shared e-scooter operators, 39.3% said they would buy their own helmets, and only 10.5% said they would not use e-scooters if the helmet requirement is enforced.
Asked about the most effective way to increase safety helmet use, 69.4% chose "police enforcement and imposition of fines." Other responses were "safety helmets provided by shared e-scooter operators" (47.4%), "incentives provided when wearing helmets" (30.8%), and "rider education to use helmets" (16.0%). "Recommend use of personal helmets" had the lowest support, with just 13.7%.
In addition, 81.7% of all respondents stressed that "shared e-scooter operators should make more effort to protect the safety of users."
Ko Young-Ju, Head manager of CCS said, "The survey confirmed that most people, regardless of age, gender, and experience in using e-scooters, strongly sympathize with the need for active safety regulations for users and pedestrians. As nine out of ten people say they will wear safety helmets when the revised Road Traffic Act is enforced, and nearly 50% of people say they want to use helmets provided by shared e-scooter operators, companies need to be more active in protecting the safety of e-scooter users.”
Meanwhile, Neuron Mobility and CCS will launch an "E-scooter Safe Driving Campaign'' from Wednesday until May 23. The campaign is designed to encourage safety standards and safe use of e-scooters in line with the revised Road Traffic Act. It will emphasise the new provisions such as mandatory helmet use and the need for riders to have a motorcycle or driving license.
The campaign will also feature an "E-scooter User Training" at Samsung Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on Wednesday conducted by Neuron Mobility and CCS together with Gangnam Police Station. This will be followed on May 17 with the launch of an in-app "Safe Rider Quiz" to promote safe riding, and educate Neuron’s users on specific riding rules. Free credits will also be awarded to those who complete the quiz.
Ryu Ki-Uk, Communications Lead at Neuron Mobility Korea, said, "All Neuron e-scooters are equipped with helmets, which are the single most important piece of safety equipment. We feel that every rider should have a helmet available to them so that they are able to follow the law while also protecting themselves. We fully support the revised Road Traffic Act and are actively working with CCS and the police to educate our riders so they can use shared e-scooters in the safest manner possible.”
