Law to rein in unlicensed scooters

A new law will go into effect in March that aims to better regulate electric scooters by imposing more stringent requirements on manufacturers and dealers, city officials said at a press conference Thursday.

The law will require the city's quality control watchdog and commerce authority to improve standards while overseeing the production and sale of electric scooters, as the vehicles have begun to pose a threat to public safety, said Jiang Zihao, a senior official from the municipal legal affairs office.

"It has become difficult for the traffic police division alone to handle the problem as more and more scooters that fail to meet standards take to the streets," Jiang said.

Electric scooters have caused about 538,000 traffic violations since 2012, and the number continues to rise each year, said Wei Kairen, the deputy chief of the city's traffic police division. Furthermore, 64 percent of the traffic accidents with injuries involve scooters that violate traffic laws.

Wei said that the most common traffic violations that scooter riders commit are running red lights, driving the wrong way and failing to yield.

The new law aims to prevent scooters from speeding, so it will limit the size of the motor in the vehicles, Jiang said.

Authorities will also institute a listing system that specifies which scooter models comply with regulations. A scooter owner will not be able to obtain a license plate from police unless his or her scooter model is on the list.

"Stores will have to make it clear to buyers that the scooters they sell are on the list and qualify for a license plate. Otherwise, buyers will have the right to return the scooter for a refund," Jiang said.

Jiang said that the rule aims to make it easier for buyers to register their vehicles with police.

The new law also slaps violators with larger fines, Wei said. It will increase the fine for riding an unregistered scooter from 5 yuan ($0.82) to between 50 yuan and 200 yuan.

There are more than 3 million registered scooters in Shanghai, but the city is also home to a large number of scooters that are unregistered or registered outside the city.

Scooters owners with plates registered outside of Shanghai will need to register their vehicles with local authorities after the new law takes effect in March.

The law will allow owners of scooters that don't comply with the new law to apply for a temporary license plate that lasts for three years, but only if they bought their vehicle before the regulation took effect.