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The Belgian road safety institute Vias warns. Cars without a license, very popular among young people and city dwellers, are said to be very dangerous. Not because of their speed, but because of the lack of protection.
They invade the parking lots of high schools in upscale neighborhoods. They are also omnipresent in big cities. What’s that? License-free cars, which have become trendy thanks to 100% electric models with a modern look, are accessible from the age of 14 or 16 depending on the legislation. They are even replacing scooters for older teenagers. While they may be more reassuring than a motorized two-wheeler for parents, these “cars” are no less dangerous. At least according to Vias, the Belgian road safety institute, which is asking authorities and users to make an effort.
High risk of injury
Being limited in top speed to 45 km/h, these golf carts nevertheless circulate in the middle of road traffic, sometimes outside built-up areas. Not yet very numerous compared to the total number of vehicles on the road, their accident rate with injury per kilometer traveled is nevertheless 6 times higher. Why? Because the structure of the vehicle is not as developed as that of a conventional car. Many of these golf carts do not have ABS or airbags. There is also a big difference in weight: 500 kg for a car without a license and 1.4 to more than 2.5 tons for a car. The police have also noted that not wearing a seat belt is much more common among golf cart users. Therefore, the risk of serious injury, particularly to the head, is real.
Efforts to be made
Vias advocates greater awareness among drivers of these vehicles. It also asks the authorities to look into this mobility phenomenon. Some countries, such as the Netherlands and Germany, have already made it mandatory to apply a specific signal to the rear of the vehicle to better identify it. The Belgian institute also advocates the idea of periodic technical inspections of these small “license-free” cars. As for manufacturers, they could think about improving passive safety for their small micromobility vehicles, which are certainly nice, but ultimately not so safe.
