European Commission releases report on harmonised rules for personal mobility devices

The European Commission has published a new report titled Study on the Need for Harmonised Rules to Support the Rise of Micro-Mobility and Increased Road Safety for Personal Mobility Devices. 

This report examines the challenges and opportunities associated with regulating personal mobility devices (PMDs) and recommends harmonised rules to address current fragmentation across the EU.

The study, conducted by Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and fka GmbH, aimed to:

• Classify existing PMDs to identify common design elements
• Analyse market trends to identify devices that would benefit from EU-wide rules
• Assess the safety implications of PMDs through collision data and other sources
• Evaluate the impact of fragmented regulations on market development
• Propose regulatory options for technical safety design requirements

The research involved extensive stakeholder engagement, a review of national and EU-level regulations, and an analysis of collision data to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the issues.

The report proposes four regulatory options:

• Maintain the current regulatory framework
• Amend Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 to include PMDs
• Create bespoke approval schemes for specific PMD groups
• Develop a universal approval framework for all PMDs

Study conclusions recommend the fourth option as having greatest impact, whilst minimising market disruption. The findings highlight an overall need for harmonised product rules to facilitate market access across Member States while promoting road safety and environmental sustainability. By aligning technical and traffic regulations, the proposed framework aims to foster the safe and widespread adoption of PMDs in Europe.

Read the full report here.

Author: Hannah Abson

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.