In yet another instance of pedestrian-meets-motor vehicle, footage of children on an e-scooter crossing a main road into the path of an oncoming vehicle has emerged, from a post by Facebook user Ayub Mohd Ali. Thankfully, the vehicle missed the children on the e-scooter.

Here, the dashcam-equipped vehicle is travelling along the road when it approaches a set of traffic lights, which are shown here to control traffic flow between the main road, minor roads and the pedestrian crossing. The light for the main road is green as the vehicle approaches, and it is shortly after this point where the e-scooter emerges from the road shoulder and begins to cross.

Without stopping, the rider of the e-scooter begins to cross the main road at an angle, which further limits their ability to sight any vehicles or hazards that are imminent behind them. The designated pedestrian crossing is also not far from where the children on the e-scooter began crossing the road.

While compact, personal mobility devices (PMDs) such as these are convenient, not all forms of motorised mobility are equal in the eyes of the law, as the Malaysian government has recently stated that certain micromobility vehicles are banned from being used on public roads.

In fact, this ban has been gazetted under the Road Traffic (Prohibition of Use of Certain Microbility Vehicles) Rules 2021, and it has been in effect since December 17, 2021. According to the transport ministry, micromobility vehicles refer to those powered by electricity, an internal combustion engine, or human power, or human power combined with any of the previously mentioned two, with a maximum speed of 50 km/h.

“We want to enforce this because more and more micromobility vehicles are being used on the road of late. This can pose a danger not just to the users but also to other road users,” said transport minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong in April. The ban mopeds, personal mobility aids (motorised wheelchairs and mobility scooters) and personal mobility devices (such as e-scooters, hoverboards, skateboards, and kick scooters).

In light of complaints from the public received by the police, Traffic Investigation and Enforcement (JSPT) head Datuk Mat Kasim Karim said last October that those found to break the law – Section 54 of the Road Transport Act 1987 – will be fined RM300 for the first offence and RM1,000 or three months jail for subsequent offences.

While bicycles are also considered a type of micro-mobility vehicle, these were not prohibited from roads, although riders must still comply with existing rules under the Road Transport Act and Road Traffic Rules, Wee explained.

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