“I hit the tram rails and made a sun”: Alba, victim of an electric scooter accident in Montpellier

Deux utilisateurs trottinette électrique. Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

Two deaths and a third between life and death in four days in Montpellier. This Wednesday, May 29, we asked the opinion of users of electric scooters: why this means of transport ? Is it dangerous ? The controls are- they frequent ? Here is a summary of their stories and their opinions.

According to users, the advantage with this gadget is its practicality: "It works well, it's fast, faster than the tram and what's more it's free: no need to park in a car park or pay anything to park tonight, explains Jérôme Pence, 58, who has been using his scooter to get to work for a year already.

For high school students, like Thomas Silloner who uses the machine on a daily basis, it's the same thing: "I take it for go to high school because no tram line is served near my house, it's practical, quite fun and above all quick.

A speed which does not seem to frighten but which remains dangerous for users and pedestrians, especially when we know that scooters can be easily unrestrained. "It’is relatively simple yes, even I learned to unclamp and I know that I can make it go up to 50 km/h easy", testifies another high school interrogated, who did’not wish to say his name.< /p>

Security sometimes undermined

For the question of dangerousness, the result is more mixed. Because even if accidents seem rather rare among the scooter riders interviewed, two of our six witnesses were victims of an incident on their journey. "Once, on my way to class, I hit the tram rails with my scooter and made a sun", says Alba Bart, a high school student.

A mishap from which she emerged unscathed, but which could have ended badly. Eliott Ganhi, 36, recounts his accident with a pedestrian: “The problem is that it doesn't make much noise and people often walk with headphones. The guy didn't see that I was coming and I hit him head on. Fortunately I had time to brake, it didn't do anything."

A lack of prevention?

Good news all the same, of the six people interviewed, all seemed to know the basic safety rules: no two on the scooter, helmet recommended and prohibition to drive on the sidewalks. Concerning the question of controls, only one of the six users explains having already been reprimanded by the police, for an insurance issue.

Karim, salesman at Hello Trott: “There are codes to respect”

Karim is a scooter seller and repairer at Hello Trott near Boulevard Clemenceau. Before each purchase, it warns of the risks linked to this increasingly used mode of transport. "You have to be careful, there are codes to respect. It’s like in a car, on a motorbike or by bike," he says. Even if it is not obligatory, he advises his clients to systematically wear a helmet and wear gloves, or even equip themselves with knee pads in order to limit the consequences in the event of an accident. fall. "If you fall, it’s from your full height", he recalls. Hello Trott, like other sellers, is required not to sell machines that travel beyond 25 km/h, the legal ceiling.

"But no one drives at 25 km/h", we admit. The unclamping kits are easily purchased on the internet and their installation made easy with the help of tutorials. They explain the sometimes considerable speeds of certain machines. Only drawback: the autonomy, of 20 km for a 36 volt motor, is reduced considerably.

Guy Trubuil

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