Overview
- Police across several states reported heavy weekend enforcement that stopped underage riders, intoxicated users, uninsured scooters and machines altered to exceed the 20 km/h legal limit.
- Official data from North Rhine‑Westphalia show a sharp rise in incidents in 2025 with about 4,281 E‑scooter accidents, roughly a 48 percent increase year‑on‑year and nearly 3,900 people harmed.
- The Städtetag Nordrhein‑Westfalen has formally called for binding digital safety instructions before first use, automatic local speed restrictions in busy pedestrian zones, and new powers for cities to limit where and how many rental scooters operate.
- Authorities report widespread technical tuning that can boost scooters to very high speeds — cases noted in coverage include scooters reaching about 85 km/h and isolated reports up to 110 km/h — which makes crashes more severe and harder to detect when software is altered.
- High‑injury incidents and legal limits on prosecution are sharpening the debate: Munich police are investigating a tram collision that left a 24‑year‑old with a traumatic brain injury, Ravensburg police probe a fatal cyclist crash, and prosecutors in Ulm recently closed the Blaubeuren racing probe because evidence was insufficient to identify a driver or prove an illegal race.