In an interim report released by the Japanese Police Department Expert Committee on Monday, it proposed the traffic rules for new mobile modes undergoing demonstration experiments, and divided them into three types based on the maximum speed and body size. Depending on the speed settings of the electric scooter and balanced vehicle, no licenses will be required to travel on the road.
The Police Department will release a final report within this year and will respond to amendments to the Road Traffic Act. Some manufacturers of new vehicles say the current rules are not enough to use their convenience. The research team discussed this.
The report revised the traditional vehicle classification and renewed the classification of vehicles traveling "at speeds below 15 km / h" as "small, low-speed vehicles". The vehicle should be the same size as the bicycle. Including electric scooters, and partial balance cars originally classified as regular two-wheelers.
This type of vehicle has a driving age of over 16, but no license is required. It may be run on motorized or non-motorized lanes, but it is not allowed on the sidewalk. The direction of discussion is not mandatory regarding whether a helmet is required, but the final decision will be made based on further validation experiments.
Furthermore, the prescribed speed is comparable to fast walking, with 6 km per speed for vehicles traveling on the sidewalk. It is expected to mainly meet the daily travel needs of the elderly. Dimensions are based on an electric wheelchair, 120 cm in length, 70 cm wide, and allow standing driving.
The type also includes automatic delivery robots for express delivery services, but still further determines the safety of driverless vehicles.
For vehicles over 15 km per hour, they must be licensed and wear a helmet as are the current regulations for light motorcycles.
On the other hand, for vehicles that can be set by key operation, driving roads are allowed to switch. For example, if the maximum speed of an electric scooter is set to 6 km/h, it can travel on the sidewalk, but other traffic participants should be indicated. Questions such as whether wearing a helmet needs will be further discussed.
