.jpg)
Singapore’s Active Mobility Advisory Panel has decided against making third-party liability insurance mandatory for users of personal mobility devices (PMDs) such as electric scooters.
This is part of new recommendations the panel has submitted to the government, which include lowering the speed limit for e-scooters from 15km/h to 10km/h on footpaths, as well as requiring cyclists on roads to wear helmets, Channel News Asia reported.
According to the panel, it did not make insurance mandatory for PMD users as it wants to place more focus on preventing accidents. However, insurance is “strongly encouraged,” especially for frequent users.
“Nevertheless, the panel strongly encourages all frequent active mobility device users to purchase third-party liability insurance to protect themselves against claims made by a third party in the event of an accident,” the panel said in its report.
The panel recommended that existing avenues of seeking compensation must be more accessible to victims of PMD accidents, and that there should be more efforts to educate both pedestrians and riders on how to safely share public paths and roads.
According to the panel, the lower speed limit will give riders more time to react and prevent accidents, as well as reduce the severity of injuries in case an accident does happen.
The latest set of recommendations follows a public consultation of over 6,000 respondents, focus group discussions, a more detailed study with 100 participants, and “various industry engagements,” panel chairman Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said in a Facebook post.
