Ukraine Starts Convicting Scooter Riders

The Unified Register of Court Decisions has three criminal cases of traffic accidents involving electric scooters. In two of the cases, the court found the scooter riders guilty.

The most harm was inflicted on the victim in case 336/7734/20. A woman was walking home when suddenly she was hit by a scooter ridden on a sidewalk by a mother with a child. The victim was moderately injured by the collision, spent a long time in a hospital, and had to install an endoprosthesis to be able to walk again.

The court found the scooter rider guilty under Article 229 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, convicting her to one year of conditional imprisonment and ordering the reimbursement of the medical treatment costs (UAH 112,160), moral damage (UAH 23,000), and half the court costs. Notably, the convicted woman was not forbidden from riding and got back the scooter that had caused the accident.

In the second case 303/1650/21, the scooter rider lost control of his scooter and hit a woman on a bicycle. The victim suffered numerous facial contusions, a concussion, and fractures, which were classified as moderate injuries.

The scooter rider was found guilty under Article 291 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and had to pay a fine of 200 non-taxable income minimums that amounted to UAH 3,400 back then. He was also ordered to reimburse UAH 70,000 for moral damage and UAH 37,216 for material damage.

Most traffic accidents involving electric scooters in Ukraine are currently recognized as administrative offenses. The court register has 16 cases of traffic accidents involving electric scooters.

The number of such accidents is growing, as does the amount of fines paid by scooter riders. A year ago, they had to pay UAH 340 for traffic violations as per administrative regulation, whereas this year the fines are UAH 850.

Most often the accidents occur due to the carelessness of both scooter riders and car drivers—on crosswalks and when getting out of a car.

Most scooter riders are held liable under Article 124 of the Administrative Code for damaging vehicles and other property. According to this article, scooter riders are recognized as road users.