Association of Road Traffic Accident Victims Calls for Amendments to Road Traffic Act and Stricter Regulations on E-Scooters

Bulgaria’s Road Traffic Act is significantly outdated, with vehicle categories still defined by engine displacement — a criterion that no longer reflects modern vehicle performance or diversity. That’s the view of Ilia Todorov, a legal expert from the Bulgarian Association of Victims of Road Accidents, told BNT’s morning programme "The Day Begins" on June 17.

According to Todorov, when the law was originally written, vehicles with 1200–1300 cc engines typically had around 60 horsepower. Today, vehicles with similar engine displacement can reach up to 200 horsepower. The legal framework also fails to address newer categories such as hybrids, electric vehicles, and especially electric scooters (e-scooters).

"Accordingly, they lack the accompanying documentation — insurance and all other typical features of motor vehicles — which ultimately becomes a problem, as some of these scooters are quite powerful and fast. We know that some models can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h.

Broadly speaking, there are two categories we can distinguish: the first includes rental e-scooters used for shared mobility. These generally don’t pose such a serious issue, as they are electronically limited to 25 km/h in accordance with the law. Additionally, they are GPS-tracked and can even be automatically deactivated if they enter a zone where their use is prohibited.

The second category includes private e-scooters, the ones people purchase for commuting or leisure. These are practically unregulated, and there is currently no effective control over their use."

According to Todorov, it is very difficult to identify such offenders because, in practice, they cannot be deprived of driving rights—either because such a license is not legally required in the first place, or because the rider may be a minor:

“This is why we believe there is a need for change in this area and for stricter measures. A full ban might be too extreme. There are steps that can be taken without resorting to outright prohibition — for example, raising the minimum age for riding e-scooters. Currently, that lower limit is 14 years. We believe it should be increased to 16, along with the introduction of mandatory training. In other words, riders should be required to obtain a license — the smallest category, AM — which is already used for mopeds. This is reasonable, as e-scooters, to a large extent, meet the definition of mopeds in terms of design and maximum speed. That way, everyone who rides an e-scooter will have completed a course and passed an exam.”

Todorov added that if third-party liability insurance — mandatory for other motor vehicles — were also required for e-scooters, then in the event of an accident, injured parties would have the right to compensation for both material and non-material damages. However, under the current system, this is not possible, as e-scooters

18-Year-Old in Critical Condition After E-Scooter Accident in Sandanski are not registered motor vehicles and are not subject to mandatory insurance.