Morocco Cracks Down on Electric Scooters in Major Cities Amid Safety Concerns

The police officers in charge of urban traffic are now waging a fierce battle against the use of electric scooters, a phenomenon that is growing in the major cities of Morocco such as Rabat, Salé and Casablanca. The local authorities of Salé are systematically seizing these vehicles driven by users who slip through the city’s arteries, in violation of the basic rules of road traffic, reports the daily Al Akhbar.

The majority of traffic offenses committed by these scooter users concern the lack of wearing a protective helmet and speeding, the sources of the daily indicate, recalling that these vehicles must not exceed a speed of 40 km/h. However, there are the latest generation of electric scooters that can reach a speed of 70 km/h, leading their users to commit speeding offenses.

This vast operation to seize scooters in the major cities of the kingdom follows the announcement by Mohamed Benabdeljalil, Minister of Transport and Logistics, of a review of the texts in force with a view to regulating the use of electric scooters. Questioned in parliament on the spread of these vehicles, the minister specified that two draft decrees are being prepared, one amending an existing decree relating to vehicles, and the other approving these types of vehicles.

If these two texts are adopted, the Ministry of Transport will be able to have the various types of scooters and their power verified by the competent authorities and ensure that they comply with the road safety rules before issuing the authorization for their circulation, in accordance with Article 49 of Law 52.05 relating to the Highway Code.