The hoverboard is one of the electric means for micro-moves in the city that is spreading very rapidly. It consists of two platforms that have two wheels on the sides. It works thanks to the commands of the driver who, by shifting the weight forward or backward, allows the Hoverboard to move. This task is ensured in detail by an internal gyroscope which detects movements and moves. Let’s try to learn more about the current legislation that regulates where hoverboards and other latest-generation electric means of transport can circulate and above all what are the requirements to be able to use them.
Requirements for riding a hoverboard
To drive an electric vehicle you must have reached the age of majority and be in possession of the AM license, the one required to drive a moped. Furthermore, other people cannot be transported and the common rules for safe driving must be respected, even towards pedestrians and other two-wheeled vehicles.
What requirements must a hoverboard have
Electric vehicles, in order to be able to circulate in pre-established places, must guarantee safety both for the driver and for third parties. For this, they must be equipped with a battery with a power not exceeding 500W and with an acoustic signal. Another mandatory requirement is the fixed lights, both front, and rear.
Driving restrictions
At the front of the vehicle the light must be white and at the rear, there must be a red reflector. Vehicles that do not have this type of lighting cannot be driven during the day in conditions of poor visibility, half an hour after sunset, and at night. They can and must be accompanied by hand. Hoverboards cannot access roads with speed limits of 30 km/h, reserved lanes, and protected cycle paths. The circulation is allowed only to segways and scooters.
The benefits for the environment
In recent years, many countries in the world have sounded the alarm about the serious environmental problems afflicting planet Earth. Hence the decision to encourage the use of non-polluting and zero-impact vehicles. Bike and car-sharing services have already existed in large cities for some time, available to the community that prefers to move around in smart mode. Now the spread of electric bikes and other green vehicles sees aew urban mobility as the protagonist.
The electric power supply of vehicles such as the hoverboard is the big bet of the moment because it favors the decongestion of traffic in large urban areas and pursues environmental sustainability. Using LEV (Light Electric Vehicles) to move around the city for fun or for work represents a new way to help improve the environment in which we live. LEVs include hoverboards, some types of scooters, and pedal-assisted bikes.
However, it is necessary to understand how those who buy Hoverboards can move and which roads they can travel on, because not all spaces are passable today.
Traffic laws
With the current law hoverboards and electric scooters cannot circulate on roads and sidewalks. Rule 190 specifies it in paragraph 8, which prevents the use of speed accelerators on the roadway. In paragraph 9 the same applies to sidewalks.
Each municipality will have to decide autonomously which places will be used for the circulation of electric vehicles. Among the most probable ones, we almost certainly know the cycle paths and other special spaces. It is possible that this new micro mobility can be used in specific pedestrian areas and also on roads whose maximum speed is 30 km/h.
In the UK the circulation of all those means defined as speed accelerators is currently prohibited. The Ministry of Transport has recently started experimentation in some municipalities, allowing the circulation of electric vehicles. This is also to encourage and encourage the use of the bike bonus issued by the government on the purchase of electric vehicles.
It is the mayors who decree where segways, hoverboards and electric scooters can move. To do this, drivers must follow the regulations in force on-site and wear the appropriate protections. Those who do not respect the rules will be fined. We can say that at the moment the legislation is still incomplete and there is no effective approval code. It was precisely to understand how electric vehicles must move around the territory that the experimentation phase was started.
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