The Finnish Parliament voted in favour of a government bill on Tuesday that will tighten the current laws around riding an electric scooter.
The law change will introduce a minimum age limit for using the devices at 15 years old, as well as placing a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit of 0.5 g/l on scooter drivers.
In addition, a recommendation that people wear a helmet when riding an e-scooter will be written into the legislation.
Minimum age now 15 years old
The introduction of the age limit follows a proposal from Finland's Road Safety Council last year, noting at the time that other countries have set the age limit between 12 and 16 years — and comes in the wake of several high-profile incidents in which children have been killed or injured while riding an e-scooter.
The council further pointed out that the minimum age to ride a moped in Finland is 15, and operating an e-scooter requires the same level of knowledge of road rules and awareness of other traffic.
A 2024 report by Helsinki University Hospital (HUS) revealed that over a five-year period, more than 600 kids — with an average age of 12 to 13 — had been injured while riding e-scooters.
Don't drive when drunk
An earlier HUS study meanwhile found that around half of the drivers involved in e-scooter accidents in Helsinki were intoxicated at the time.
The newly introduced level of 0.5 g/l is the same alcohol limit for the nation's motorists.
Helmets recommended
In addition to the two law changes, the government will now add a recommendation to the legislation that helmets should be worn while riding an e-scooter.
This recommendation already exists for cyclists, but in future will also apply to e-scooters and other light electric vehicles, such as three- or four-wheeled scooters intended for the elderly or people with reduced mobility, for example.
The government intends to bring the legislative changes into force as soon as possible, with Transport Minister Lulu Ranne (Finns) saying earlier this month that the age limit would come into effect before Midsummer.
