Scoot Safely

Electric scooters are undeniably fun, and there's nothing that says undeniably fun like regulations from the Russian Ministries of Transport and Internal Affairs.

These two agencies have recently released a set of rules for the safe and legal use of electric and gyroscopic scooters. This should probably be unsurprising, since Russians probably like riding scooters as much as anyone.

The rules state that scooters should top out at 25 kph (15 mph) and weigh a maximum of 35 kg (77 lbs). Operators should be over the age of 14, and should ride on the right side of the road or on the sidewalk. The speed limit is actually an increase, as the new statute will override a 2019 law capping scooter top speed at 20 kph (12.5 mph).

These regulations affect not just scooters, but any "means of individual mobility" (SIM, in the Russian acronym), defined as a "vehicle with one or more wheels (rollers), intended for individual movement of a person through the use of an engine (motors): electric scooters, electric skateboards, gyro scooters, segways, unicycles, and other similar means."

While safety is important, we are looking forward to documenting the inevitable scooter-versus-police chase to barrel through a Russian city at a brisk thirty miles per hour.