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Date Published: 04/01/2022

Illegally modified electric scooters cause more road accidents

Young riders in the Region of Murcia are modifying their scooters to go faster, and they are becoming more fashionable amongst drug dealers

Police sources in Murcia have reported that more people are trying to pimp their eco-friendly ride, tricking out electric scooters to make them go faster, which is leading to an increase in traffic accidents.

The maximum speed limit allowed for electric scooters on roads in Spain is 25 kilometres per hour, but Murcia Local Police recently intercepted a young man with a scooter that could go almost three times as fast, exceeding 69 kilometres per hour.

In early 2021, traumatologists in the Region of Murcia also warned that there had been an increase in wrist and hip fractures due to accidents involving scooters.

Given the high number of accidents involving electric scooters, several local authorities, such as Cartagena and Lorca, decided to take action to regulate the use of scooters and establish clearer legal regulations.

Electric scooters linked to drugs and crime

This greener form of transport has also been gaining popularity among drug dealers as a fast and convenient form of transport to escape police with because it can easily travel off-road.

What’s more, there was a spate of electric scooter thefts across the Region last Christmas, though these were attributed more to private individuals looking to give them as Christmas presents to their loved ones rather than organised crime.

Image: Archive

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