Experts call for ban on electric scooters and small vehicles

Electric scooters and other small electric vehicles should be banned from cycle paths, according to the Traffic Safety Think Tank, DR reports. The group says research and evaluations have shown that the vehicles are significantly more dangerous than bicycles.

Electric scooters, electric skateboards and hoverboards have been legal in traffic under trial schemes since 1 January 2019. They may be used as long as they cannot travel faster than 20 kilometres per hour under their own power, and riders wear a helmet.

“We believe the trial schemes should be ended, and we have to conclude that it is simply too dangerous to have these electric scooters in traffic,” said Harry Lahrmann, deputy chairman of the think tank and a traffic researcher at Aalborg University.

The think tank says the latest evaluation by the Danish Road Traffic Agency, published in 2025, found that the risk of an accident involving an electric scooter was eight to nine times higher than for a bicycle when police-recorded accidents were counted.

Data from the National Patient Register showed that the accident risk was three to four times higher for electric scooters than for bicycles, according to the evaluation.

Lahrmann also pointed to the vehicles’ design. Their small wheels can easily become stuck in potholes, while riders have a less secure grip because the vehicles do not have a saddle and pedals like bicycles.

He said the vehicles could also pose risks to other road users because cycle paths now contain many different types of vehicles that behave differently.

The think tank recommends phasing out electric scooters over several years to accommodate people who have already bought one. It says a ban on the remaining small electric vehicles should take effect immediately.

Politicians oppose an outright ban

Frida Bruun, transport spokesperson for the Moderates, said the trial schemes could be evaluated but argued that new forms of transport should remain possible.

“We should not ban them completely, because there must be room for development,” she said, adding that only a small proportion of people injured in traffic use electric scooters.

Mai Mercado, transport spokesperson for the Conservatives, also rejected a ban. She said many people use the vehicles legally to travel to work or education, and that a ban could affect rural areas disproportionately.

Leila Stockmarr, transport spokesperson for the Red-Green Alliance, did not rule out a ban but said the issue was broader than electric scooters.

“We need to examine more thoroughly which vehicles should be allowed on cycle paths,” she said.

Urban, Rural and Transport Minister Signe Munk declined to give an interview. In a written response, she said the trial scheme was gathering important experience and had no end date.

“I expect this is something we will discuss at a later stage,” Munk said.