Now Reading: E-scooter brands exploit legal loophole to target minors
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E-scooter brands exploit legal loophole to target minors
Bengaluru: Low-speed electric two-wheelers are being marketed on social media as suitable for underage riders, exploiting an exemption from registration and driving licence requirements. The exemption applies to vehicles with motor power…
Bengaluru: Low-speed electric two-wheelers are being marketed on social media as suitable for underage riders, exploiting an exemption from registration and driving licence requirements. The exemption applies to vehicles with motor power below 250 watts and a top speed of 25 kmph, but does not certify them as safe for children.
Bengaluru Traffic Police have approached the Transport Department over the issue. Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Karthik Reddy said discussions are under way to bring such vehicles under the Motor Vehicles Act. Riders found without helmets are being taken to police stations for traffic awareness classes.
Transport Minister Byrathi Suresh called the practice unsafe and irresponsible, and said he would meet the transport commissioner soon. Some low-speed vehicles have been sent to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to determine if they qualify as motor vehicles under existing rules.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The legal gap arises because the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 exempt vehicles under specified power and speed limits from registration, effectively leaving them unregulated. However, the same rules do not prescribe a minimum age or helmet requirement for riders. The Motor Vehicles Act treats any mechanically propelled vehicle as a motor vehicle, but enforcement hinges on technical classification. The IISc assessment will be critical: if these scooters are deemed motor vehicles, they would fall under the Act, requiring registration, licensing, and helmet use. The outcome could force manufacturers to redesign or relabel products, and set a precedent for regulating the rapidly growing low-speed EV market, projected to reach several lakh units annually.
The Transport Department's meeting in the coming weeks will determine the next regulatory step.
Source: deccanherald.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
