Response to interpellation 2025/26:552 on electric scooters and road safety work
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
KD considers electric scooters to be a valuable addition that requires orderly movement 1 2. KD argues that the government has introduced mandatory traffic insurance and is now analyzing Nordic experiences regarding age limits, blood alcohol limits, and power requirements 3 1 2. KD emphasizes that parents have a responsibility for their children's use of electric scooters and that it is important to follow existing rules 1 2 4. KD considers that a balance must be found between the utility of the vehicle and the responsibility to reduce accidents 4. S considers that the accidents are tragic and require clear national frameworks 5. S considers that the government is reducing resources for research 6. S argues that the number of seriously injured is increasing 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! Inga-Lill Sjöblom has asked me what concrete measures I intend to take to reduce the sharply increasing number of accidents and injuries related to electric scooters and if I intend to review today's regulations for electric scooters, for example, when it comes to age limits, helmet use, speed limits, or other traffic safety requirements. Furthermore, Inga-Lill Sjöblom has asked what measures I intend to take to reverse the negative development regarding the number of seriously injured in traffic and ensure that Sweden reaches the traffic safety goals for 2030. Finally, she has asked how I intend to ensure that research, knowledge building, and follow-up within the field of traffic safety are given sufficient resources to meet new traffic safety challenges, such as the rapid increase in accidents with electric scooters.
The statistics from the Transport Agency that the interpellor refers to show a very worrying development regarding electric scooter accidents. In 2023, the Government already strengthened the protection for those injured in traffic by introducing a traffic insurance requirement for electric scooters. In the same year, the Government tasked Trafikanalys with mapping the market for electric single-person vehicles and investigating the effects, both positive and negative.
We have received the report, which shows that the number of accidents has increased – especially among young people – while accessibility has improved. It is serious, and I am following the development closely. Trafikanalys has presented a number of conclusions. This is currently being prepared at the Government Offices.
The Government has recently established the national transport infrastructure plan for the period 2026–2037, which entails historically large investments in the transport infrastructure in Sweden. A well-functioning infrastructure is crucial both to increase Sweden's overall competitiveness and growth and for all of Sweden to function. The needs within the transport infrastructure are great. It is necessary to make deliberate prioritizations between different measures and manage the state's resources as effectively as possible.
Swedish road safety work has been successful, and the work to continue strengthening road safety is a priority for the government. In the national plan, the government therefore increases the investment in maintenance and environmental measures by 26 percent compared to the previous plan, in fixed prices, to 62.5 billion kronor. This is an important investment in the transport system that increases road safety, reduces environmental impact, and increases capacity.
Secure roadside areas, police checkpoints, railings, median strips, motorcycle skid protection, measures in intersections and the construction of wildlife crossings are examples of road safety initiatives included within the trimming budget. All of this contributes to increased road safety and is important to achieve the zero vision. The Government also allocates 4 billion kronor to applied research and innovation during the planning period.
Inga-Lill Sjöblom (S)
Mr. Speaker! Sweden has for a long time been an international model in the field of road safety. The Vision Zero has shown that political leadership, research, knowledge, and systematic road safety work can save lives.
The development we see now, however, gives reason for strong concern. During 2025, nearly 6,500 people were injured in accidents with electric scooters. Seven people lost their lives. The number of injured has increased sharply in just a few years. Behind the figures are people who suffer from serious head injuries, facial injuries, and long-term disabilities. Many of those injured are children and young people.
At the same time, Trafikverket's latest analysis shows that around 5,000 people were seriously injured in road traffic during 2025. That is more than the year before. Trafikverket also states that the development is not sufficient for Sweden to reach the road safety goals by 2030.
This should be a clear warning signal. When a new mode of transport grows rapidly, the safety work must also be developed, but today many experience that the development is moving faster than the introduction of measures intended to protect people from being injured. Therefore, it is reasonable to ask whether the government truly has a strategy to meet the new traffic safety challenges.
What concrete measures are being taken to reduce the number of accidents? What initiatives are being taken to reduce serious injuries? How does the government view the fact that more and more children and young people are among the injured? And how does the government ensure that Sweden does not lose its position as one of the world's leading countries in road safety, which has been built up over a long period?
Mr. Speaker! Road safety is ultimately about people's lives and health. Therefore, I look forward to hearing what concrete measures the government intends to take to reverse the development.
Carina Ödebrink (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank Inga-Lill Sjöblom for her interpellation, which sheds light on one of the more important issues when it comes to increasing road safety and reducing the number of electric scooter accidents.
Inga-Lill Sjöblom described it all well. The development we see is naturally very sad, but it does not change the fact that we must see the electric scooter as a valuable addition to traffic. It can increase accessibility and help us reach the climate goals. The electric scooter is a very efficient means of transport, primarily in our large cities.
As the Minister and I discussed earlier, this is about behaviors. It is about how one conducts oneself in traffic. There is more to be done here.
The Minister refers to the Trafikanalys report and that this is being prepared within the Government Offices. At the same time, the accidents continue to increase. We in the Transport Committee received a report from the Swedish Trauma Registry last week showing that the accidents continue to increase sharply. It is neither responsible nor sustainable that we cannot create the conditions to reverse the development.
Does the government have any announcement regarding concrete measures in this area? The municipalities are requesting clearer national rules. It is the municipalities and regions that face the consequences in their daily lives. It is about accessibility, safety, parking, and the interaction between pedestrians and e-scooter riders. It is also about many injuries, both minor and serious. There are even fatalities. Municipalities and regions cannot solve all the problems themselves, and therefore clear national frameworks and better tools are needed.
The reports show that it is primarily young people who are injured and, among them, primarily men. They ride without helmets, they ride under the influence, and they are generally reckless when operating these vehicles. We cannot tolerate that it continues this way, and it is required that the government produces a clear plan for how it intends to address this.
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I thank Inga-Lill Sjöblom for the interpellation and both members for their commitment to the issue.
Just as Carina Ödebrink is on, electric scooters are a valuable addition, and there can be great benefits with this vehicle. But they must, of course, be moved in an orderly and traffic-safe manner. Here we are in complete agreement.
The government has taken more measures during the mandate period, and measures were also initiated during the previous mandate period when the previous government gave the assignment. As I said in my opening response, we have introduced a traffic insurance obligation for electric scooters. The issue of municipalities and parking has also been addressed.
It is, however, obvious that more needs to be done. Therefore, two weeks ago, I took the initiative for an exchange with my Nordic colleagues when we met in connection with the EU meeting in Luxembourg. This issue has been on the agenda before, but I saw it as urgent to bring it up again, not least against the background of the statistics that arrived just a few weeks ago.
It is not possible to compare statistics directly between the Nordic countries, but my Nordic colleagues were clear that age limits and blood alcohol concentration limits, together with classification and requirements for effectiveness, are important measures to handle more or less the same problems that we have seen here in Sweden. Therefore, these observations are prepared together with Trafikanalys' report in the continued work, and the government intends to return.
The observations of the behavior are also very important. Today's legislation must be followed, for example, not to give rides, to wear a helmet, and to ensure that these vehicles cannot be driven too fast. This weekend, I spoke with a police officer who told me that they had arrested a 14-year-old who had ridden an electric scooter at 70 kilometers per hour. When they came home with the child to the parents, they were very upset and said: He had promised not to drive faster than 20 kilometers per hour. There is, therefore, a lack of awareness. I do not mean that this example represents all parents and families, but there is a clear parental responsibility to ensure that the products one orders home also meet the requirements.
This is a part of the Trafikanalys report that we are also preparing. The information from the retailers is often deficient and convoluted, and it can be difficult to know what one has ordered. But when one sees that the vehicle is going significantly faster than it should, one must take responsibility and use the knowledge and common sense one has so as not to contribute to the problem.
We will, of course, also look at whether additional rules and measures can make use safer, but the rules that already exist also need to be followed. I hope that this debate will underscore this and that we all agree that the vehicles one gives to their children shall be such vehicles that can be driven in Sweden in a safe manner.
Inga-Lill Sjöblom (S)
Mr. Speaker! This debate is actually about something bigger than electric scooters. It is about how we meet new road safety challenges. Historically, Sweden has been successful because we have combined research, knowledge, follow-up, agency work, civil society, and political decisions. But at the same time as new risks emerge, we now see that the government is reducing resources for research and innovation within the transport sector. This raises questions about how the government intends to ensure that we have the knowledge required to meet the road safety challenges of the future.
When accidents with electric scooters increase significantly, the conclusion should be that we need more knowledge, not less. We need better analyses of the causes of accidents. We need research on behaviors, vehicles, regulations, and infrastructure. We need to know which measures actually work.
I also want to remind that the Swedish Transport Administration assesses that Sweden is not on track to reach the 2030 interim targets unless further measures are implemented. The gap is significant, especially regarding the number of seriously injured.
When it comes to accidents, it is not just about the people who are on the electric scooter. A huge number of others are hit on sidewalks. You are allowed to ride electric scooters on cycle paths but not on sidewalks and pedestrian paths. But children may not always know where one is allowed to ride an electric scooter. The pedestrian does not hear when the electric scooter is coming from behind and does not jump out of the way.
These accidents will not appear in the statistics as bicycle accidents but as accidents on the street. It is only reported as an accident if the injured person ends up in the hospital. If the police help you and you are just bandaged up and then get to go home, you will not appear in the statistics, even if you have proper abrasions. It is therefore many more who are injured than those who appear in the statistics.
I have two questions for the Minister: What new initiatives does the government intend to take to reduce the number of seriously injured in traffic? How will the government ensure that traffic safety research has the resources required to meet the risks that arise?
In his answer, the minister listed investments within the trimming budget such as safe side areas, police checks, railings in the midfield, under-gliding protection for motorcycles, measures in intersections and the construction of wildlife crossings. Yes, we shall be careful about our frogs, but what do we do when it comes to e-scooter riders? What do we do so that people do not get involved in accidents? Where is the safety when it comes to e-scooters?
Carina Ödebrink (S)
Mr. Speaker! I will keep it brief. I think this is a very good and important debate. I want to start by emphasizing that it is not about banning electric scooters. They are a very valuable addition that increases accessibility, reduces the carbon footprint, and much more.
Today, it is the case that more and more people have their own private electric scooters and move around in large cities and in rural and remote areas where it suits them. What is problematic is what Inga-Lill Sjöblom also raises regarding accidents. When I move here in Stockholm – and I believe I can speak for many who move in the street space in large cities and in smaller towns – I must be incredibly observant when I walk forward and not take any step to the side. If one does that, it can happen that one suddenly gets an electric scooter in the back. It is not uncommon that such accidents happen.
I would like to interject with a question. In addition to measures aimed at municipalities and private actors that the government can take to increase road safety – what does the Minister believe would need to be done further towards the industry that rents out these bicycles? Is there anything there that the Minister can point to?
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I thank you for the various contributions, which I agree with in all essential respects. As Inga-Lill Sjöblom emphasizes, these vehicles must not be driven on the sidewalk. Nevertheless, damages occur as a result of people not following the rules that already exist.
That is why it is important in a debate such as this to speak about further measures. I have pointed out a number of measures that the government is now analyzing. Not least, it concerns Nordic experiences.
At the same time, one needs to focus on the behavior. Individuals and parents need to take responsibility and ensure that the rules in place are followed. It is not just a question of how one behaves, conducts oneself, and manages in general – it is about injuries. Ultimately, it is people's lives that are being risked.
Mr. Speaker! When I listed a number of different traffic safety-enhancing measures, it was intended to constitute an answer to the member's fourth question in the interpellation, where Inga-Lill Sjöblom writes about "meeting new traffic safety challenges, such as the rapid increase in accidents with electric scooters." I emphasize the word "such as" – I chose to answer the question a bit more broadly, just as it was formulated. That was the intention. It is not that I believe all these measures are directly applicable to electric scooters. But I have, Mr. Speaker, in quite a few interpellation debates here in the chamber, tried to make it a matter of honor to answer the questions that are asked, and that was the intention in that part.
When it comes to further measures, it is partly about the electric scooters that are rented out. Various initiatives are being taken, even at the municipal level. We have tightened the measures that can be taken regarding parking. It is easy to forget, but a few years ago the situation was such that this type of electric scooter was lying everywhere in a mess, which created traffic safety problems and accessibility problems. In large parts, it has become better after measures were taken against the problems that existed then.
I have mentioned that which we have received information about from our Nordic neighboring countries. Norway has a 12-year limit, but two weeks ago I received information that work is underway to raise it. Denmark and Finland have 15-year limits. Sweden follows that work and has an ongoing project to see which measures now need to be taken in light of the gloomy accident statistics, which nevertheless do not include all injuries, as Inga-Lill Sjöblom is aware of.
It will therefore require further measures, and the government is open to taking such measures. There is a broad consensus here. I would like to thank that the question is being taken up for debate in the chamber. This is, of course, an important task for legislators and other politicians.
It is equally important that the rules that exist are followed, that conversations are had, perhaps now during the summer, and that responsibility is taken. That responsibility which all parents have does not disappear just because we have a political debate on the issue. This is not just a political issue, but it needs to be discussed in families at kitchen tables. Most of those who are injured are young people who are inexperienced with traffic. Therefore, it is important to be aware of the risks that exist with electric scooters.
Inga-Lill Sjöblom (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the debate. I believe we stand quite close to each other on this issue, although there are some differences when it comes to money and research.
We should be pleased that the number of road fatalities decreased in 2025. But we must not turn a blind eye to the fact that the number of seriously injured is increasing and that the development is heading in the wrong direction when it comes to electric scooter accidents. Over 6,600 injured in a year is not a temporary deviation but a clear warning sign. The zero vision is not just about reducing death tolls but also about preventing serious injuries and creating a safe transport system for everyone.
In Uppsala municipality, we want to ban e-scooters between November and March – not because people ride poorly, which they do, but because they park them poorly. Now, the fines for illegal parking for e-scooter rentals will be increased, so let's see if that helps. It is also about people not being able to get through on the streets because e-scooters are lying around. But it has become better.
But we are not reaching the private electric scooters, which often belong to children. I hope that this can be included in the school education, so that the cycling education the children have in grade three, four, and five also includes electric scooters.
I hope that the government is now ready to act, both by reviewing the regulatory framework for electric scooters and by strengthening long-term road safety work. In order for Sweden to also be a leading country in road safety in the future, it is required that we meet new risks with new solutions and that we do so before even more people are injured.
We need to continue with this this autumn, regardless of who wins the election. I am leaving the Committee on Transport and returning to Uppsala Municipality. Perhaps I will work with the same issues – we shall see. I may return. I must thank Andreas Carlson.
Infrastruktur- och bostadsministern Andreas Carlson (KD)
Mr. Speaker! I would rather thank Inga-Lill Sjöblom once for a lot than once for a little. Thank you for the commitment! Thank you for the time in the Committee on Transport and Communications and for the cooperation during the parliamentary term!
I think this is an urgent issue. That the work needs to continue is a completely correct approach. Regardless of political level and political color, it is important to find a good balance where one takes advantage of this vehicle but perhaps above all – in light of the very gloomy accident statistics – takes responsibility for reducing accidents and strengthening road safety.
Mr. Speaker! In this interpellation debate, I have highlighted which measures the government is now looking at and is prepared to take. We look forward to returning. I also look forward to people being able to learn from the experiences made in Sweden's municipalities, which have handled this in different ways over the years. In some parts, it is going in the right direction, but the overall picture is that it is going in the wrong direction, not least against the background of the accident statistics that Inga-Lill Sjöblom highlights. That is why this is an urgent issue.
Again: Of course, it is important that political responsibility is taken, and we do not shirk that. But everyone else also has a responsibility. To meet the situation, reduce the number of accidents, and strengthen road safety, it is important that the rules that exist are followed already this summer. Parents need to take responsibility and keep track of what it is they have bought for their children. It is important that it is not used in an incorrect way, so that needs to be followed up. There are risks for one's own child but also for many others. Therefore, this is urgent, and I want to thank you for the debate.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.