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Greek traffic police service in the Attica region have launched a new round of intensive checks on electric scooters, after two serious accidents on Tinos and Glyka Nera, in which a 14-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy were badly injured.
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The checks focus mainly on the use of electric scooters by minors, as well as on general compliance with the Highway Code, while businesses that sell, supply or rent out these vehicles are also coming under scrutiny.
Particular emphasis is being placed on the centre of the capital Athens, where the use of electric scooters is especially widespread. At the same time, according to traffic police, there have been several complaints about scooters being abandoned on pavements, reducing available space for pedestrians.
3,700 offences in more than 6,000 checks
Data from the Attica Traffic Directorate illustrate the scale of the problem.
In the first eight months of 2026, a total of 6,127 checks were carried out on electric scooter users and 3,700 offences were recorded.
Of these, 1,844 concerned rental scooters while around 1,800 cases concerned privately owned ones.
The vast majority of offenders were adults: 3,544 people. However, 156 underage offenders were also recorded, 20 of them aged between 12 and 15 and 136 older than 15.
The most frequent offences relate to riding without a protective helmet and excessive speed. There are also cases of electric scooters being used on high-speed roads and running red lights.
56 road accidents in eight months
The figures on accidents are even more worrying. In the first eight months of the year, 56 road accidents involving an electric scooter were recorded in Attica.
Three people were seriously injured and a further 53 suffered minor injuries.
The two recent incidents involving minors have brought the issue of enforcing the rules, especially age limits for users, back to the fore.
Greek legislation has already been tightened. The use of electric scooters is prohibited for people under 17, an insurance requirement has been introduced and stricter penalties are provided for riding them on roads where the speed limit exceeds 50 kilometres per hour.
Fines are also foreseen for businesses that sell, rent or supply electric scooters to people under 17.
Despite the stricter framework, however, the situation on the streets suggests that enforcing it remains a challenge.
Europe sets limits on electric scooters
The debate is not confined to Greece. The spread of electric scooters as a means of micromobility has forced many European countries to seek a balance between alternative forms of transport, road safety and the protection of pedestrians.
The most radical example is Paris. Since September 2023, the French capital has banned dockless rental electric scooters, following a vote in which 89% of participants backed their abolition. The three companies operating in the city at the time were ordered to remove their vehicles.
Restrictions in Paris became even stricter in August 2026. Wearing a helmet and reflective equipment is now compulsory for anyone using an electric scooter on the city’s public roads and the fine for not wearing a helmet is €135. The minimum age is 14 and the maximum permitted speed is 25 kilometres per hour.
Madrid has taken a similar path. In 2024 the city council revoked the licences of the three electric scooter rental firms operating in the Spanish capital and stated that it would not issue new ones.
Among the reasons it cited were gaps in insurance cover and the failure to implement technology that would prevent the vehicles from being used or parked in prohibited areas.
In Brussels, the regional government decided on a complete ban on shared electric scooters from 1 January 2027. The licences of the existing companies expire at the end of 2026 and will not be renewed.
The decision was taken after a significant rise in accidents: in 2025, 666 injuries were recorded in incidents involving electric scooters in the Brussels Region, an increase of 26% compared with the previous year.
Authorities also point to the problems abandoned scooters cause for pedestrians, as well as their use in criminal activities.
Helmets, insurance and age limits
Italy has chosen a different approach, tightening the rules for the vehicles themselves and their riders.
Italian law now requires helmets to be worn, a specific identification mark for each electric scooter and compulsory third-party liability insurance. The insurance requirements came into force in 2026.
In Finland, since June 2025 there has been a minimum age of 15 for using most electric scooters. It is also forbidden to hand such a vehicle to a child under 15. At the same time, an alcohol limit of 0.5% was introduced and the police were given the power to carry out breathalyser tests and checks for narcotic substances on users.
In Hungary, compulsory insurance has already been extended to certain categories of electric scooters, depending on their weight and maximum speed.
In Germany, the new framework tightens the liability of electric scooter rental companies, such as Lime and Bolt, in the event of an accident.
The aim is to make it easier to compensate victims even when the rider cannot be identified, while companies may also be held liable for accidents caused by abandoned scooters left on pavements.
The figures are telling: rental scooters made up around 20% of insured electric scooters in 2023, but were linked to about 40% of related compensation claims.
A stricter framework is also being promoted in Cyprus, where the minimum age for using an electric scooter has been raised from 14 to 17.
At the same time, a decree is out for public consultation that would allow electric scooters to be impounded for 30 to 90 days in the case of serious offences, such as riding by people under 17, using them on roads where they are banned or exceeding the limit of 25 kilometres per hour.
The common denominator is the attempt to address problems that have emerged alongside the rapid spread of micromobility: road accidents, use by children, riding on unsuitable roads and pavements and the uncontrolled parking of rental vehicles.
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