S. Korea begins research on safety guidelines on e-scooters

South Korea's traffic authority said Monday that it will launch research to map out safety instructions for personal mobility devices, like electric scooters, amid a hike in deaths of their riders in recent years.

The Korea Road Traffic Authority said the project is aimed at setting new safety standards and traffic guidelines on such devices by examining factors that affect riders on the road and reviewing related regulations and rules at home and abroad, Yonhap News Agency reports.  

The research also includes studies on the number of personal transportation devices, their accidents and a public survey.

The project came as the use of personal mobility devices has sharply increased in recent years, as well as the number of accidents involving e-scooters and others.

A total of 19 people were killed in such accidents last year, steeply up from 10 a year earlier, according to the authority.

In the first half of 2022, the number of deaths among riders of the devices rose to 11 from six tallied over the same period last year.

Under the current traffic laws, people are not allowed to ride an e-scooter on a sidewalk or a pedestrian crossing, and drunk riding is prohibited. Only riders with at least a motorcycle license are eligible to use the device.