At 4:37 p.m. on October 18, in front of a convenience store in Songdo, Incheon, a tragic scene unfolded. A woman in her 30s, referred to as Ms. B, was walking home holding cotton candy she had just bought for her daughter. Suddenly, she saw an electric scooter racing onto the sidewalk—heading straight toward her child. The scooter was being ridden not by an adult, but by two middle school students. Traveling at over 25 km/h, the scooter was seconds away from collision. In that instant, Ms. B threw herself in front of it to shield her daughter. The impact sent her crashing to the ground, where she sustained severe head trauma. She remains unconscious in the intensive care unit to this day.
The riders had no motor license, wore no helmets, and even violated the most basic regulation governing e-scooters: the one-person-per-vehicle rule. When questioned, they reportedly said, “We were just messing around.”
But that one moment of “messing around” destroyed a family’s ordinary afternoon. A simple trip to the convenience store turned into a life-threatening tragedy.
The Hidden Dangers of a Neglected Technology
In reality, there are virtually no safeguards preventing scooters from entering pedestrian walkways. Speed caps can be easily overridden, and some shared scooters can accelerate beyond the legal 25 km/h limit—reaching speeds of 40 km/h. Meanwhile, GPS tracking and operational logs are often insufficient to determine liability after an accident.
Electric scooters have rapidly gained popularity as “eco-friendly transportation” and “the future of personal mobility.” But behind the marketing lies a set of serious structural risks: loopholes in the licensing system, riders without insurance, and the erosion of pedestrian rights.
Under current law, electric scooters may only be used by individuals aged 16 and older with a motorized vehicle license or driver’s license. Yet in reality, unlicensed teenagers—and even elementary schoolers—use them freely on city streets and sidewalks. The mindset that “it’s just for convenience” or “just one ride won’t hurt” is steadily turning our public spaces into danger zones.
Riding E-Scooters on the Sidewalk Is Not a Nuisance—It’s a Threat to Life
Sidewalks are designated pedestrian-only spaces—where children, seniors, and persons with disabilities move at walking pace. Despite this, electric scooters now occupy and even dominate these areas. This inversion of public space raises a critical question: Have we allowed technology to evolve in a way that excludes and endangers the very people it was meant to serve?
A System with No Accountability
The most alarming revelation from this incident is the absence of a clear responsibility structure. When the offender is a minor, criminal liability is limited. If the scooter is not insured—as is often the case—the victim and their family bear the full cost of medical treatment and long-term care.
Shared scooter companies, meanwhile, absolve themselves through user agreements that place “all liability on the individual.” In effect, there are no preventive safety systems and no reliable compensation mechanisms after an accident.
This is not merely a regulatory gap—it is an abdication of public responsibility. Just like telecommunications, railways, and electricity, mobility is a form of public infrastructure. The uncontrolled spread of personal mobility devices has shifted from a matter of convenience to a direct threat to public safety and human life. This reality demands stronger government oversight and public intervention.
“They’re just kids” — But is that an excuse?
A scooter traveling at 25 km/h is not a toy; it is comparable in speed to a car moving through a residential zone. Yet these middle school riders had no driver’s license, no legal awareness, and no understanding of consequences. Can we simply say, “They didn’t know better”?
These children are not the cause of the problem—they are the product of a society that tolerated danger, normalized it, and failed to educate against it.
No one taught them that a scooter is a vehicle, not a toy.
Scooter companies hid behind disclaimers instead of enforcing safeguards.
Adults looked the other way as scooters sped across sidewalks.
The result? Our streets have become accident zones created by unregulated technology, uneducated users, and the complacency of adults.
Technology vs. Responsibility
Electric scooters spread rapidly under the banner of eco-friendly innovation. However, beneath their convenience lie two serious risks that operate simultaneously:
Lack of proper safety and regulatory systems
Widespread user irresponsibility
Scooters Are Not Toys
The notion that “everyone’s riding them, so it must be okay” is dangerously misguided. Legally, an electric scooter is a motorized vehicle. It must be insured, regulated like a car, and is subject to criminal and civil liability in the event of an accident.
But in reality?
Unlicensed minors ride freely on sidewalks.
Shared scooter companies evade accountability.
Society excuses it as harmless youth behavior.
This cultural complacency is precisely what led to the recent tragedy.
So we must now ask:
“Was it wrong to introduce electric scooters, or have we been wrong to unleash them on society without responsibility, controls, or education?”
“Is the problem the technology itself, or the adults who failed to manage it?”
A Warning We Can No Longer Ignore
Pedestrian pathways—once safe havens from vehicular traffic—are becoming collision zones. The victims are and will continue to be the most vulnerable among us: children, the elderly, parents pushing strollers, and disabled citizens.
Sidewalks exist for people, not machines.
Any technological advancement that endangers that principle is not progress—it is regression.
Now is the time to choose:
Will we continue sacrificing public safety in exchange for convenience?
Or will we restore the basic right to walk safely in our own neighborhoods?
This is no longer just about scooters.
It is about what kind of society we are choosing to be.
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